Held from 17-18 September 2024, the IBC Congress in Oxford brought together experts from around the world to discuss the latest advances in bariatric surgery and the challenges facing surgical practice.
Renowned Bariatric Surgeon Dr. Liza María Pompa González, director of LIMARP Center of Excellence in Obesity in Tijuana, Mexico, was once again invited as a special speaker at the prestigious IBC Congress, held at the University of Oxford, England.
Representing Mexico, Tijuana and Baja California, Dr. Pompa has been invited to this event for the fifth time, reaffirming her outstanding career in the field of bariatric surgery. This event, held from September 17 to 18, brought together experts from around the world in the field of bariatrics to discuss the most recent advances in bariatric surgery and the challenges facing surgical practice. During the event, Dr. Pompa proudly represented Mexico and Tijuana, Baja California, standing out for her leadership in the field of bariatric surgery.
During the congress, Dr. Pompa presented the lecture entitled “Sound Decision Making & Safe Surgical Strategy in Dealing with the Gastric Fundus Fused to the Spleen During Sleeve Gastrectomy”. In this lecture, she shared her knowledge on safe surgical decision making and key strategies for dealing with highly complex complications during sleeve gastrectomy.
In addition, Dr. Pompa was part of the Experts Forum in the session entitled “Retained Gastric Sleeve Specimen after SADI-S Presenting with Septic Shock”, presented by Dr. Ali Alhamdani from Whittington Hospital in London, UK. This session was moderated by Dr. Alhamdani himself and Prof. Richard Peterson from the University of Texas Health in San Antonio, USA.
During this panel, Dr. Pompa shared her experience and knowledge in the management of surgical complications in obesity surgery, alongside leading international experts such as Dr. Shahab Shahabi from the Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran; Prof. Juan Roberto González Santamaría from Surglap Robotic Surgery in Pachuca, Mexico; Dr. Ben Clapp from Providence Hospital and Texas Tech Paul F Foster School of Medicine, USA; Prof. Saeed Safari from the Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran; and Prof. Burak Kavlakoglu from Istanbul Health and Technology University, Turkey.
During her participation, Dr. Pompa was part of the IBC-University of Oxford Latin America Debate, moderated by Dr. Alex Escalona from the Clínica Universidad de Los Andes in Chile. During this discussion, Dr. Pompa defended her position in favor of robotic bariatric surgery in the presentation entitled “Robotic Bariatric Surgery in Latin America: Great in Theory but Not in Practice.”
In this exchange, she debated with Prof. Paula Volpe from São Luiz Itaim Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, in a passionate debate about robotic surgery as it offers considerable benefits in theory. Dr. Pompa highlighted that, although it is currently a developing technology, it represents significant promise for the future of bariatric surgery internationally.
With these contributions, Dr. Pompa reaffirms her commitment to the advancement of bariatric surgery globally, consolidating her role as a leader in the field and reinforcing the international prestige of her work. In global practice, there are still numerous challenges for its widespread adoption in the field of bariatric surgery, and the future of robotic surgery in Latin America.