Home > CT Providers > Bariatric Surgeons

Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD

Accepting New Patients

(No ratings)

Specializes in: Bariatric Surgery and General Surgery

Professional interests include: diverticular disease, inguinal hernia, laparoscopic gallbladder removal, and more.

2000 Post Road Suite 101
Fairfield, CT 06824

(203) 785-2626

Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD is a bariatric surgeon in Fairfield, CT specializing in bariatric surgery and general surgery. Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD is affiliated with Yale Medicine, Yale University and Yale New Haven Health.

Office Locations

Address:

2000 Post Road Suite 101
Fairfield, CT 06824

Address:

325 Riverside Avenue Suite 100
Westport, CT 06880

Some issues Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD can help you with:

Gallbladder Removal Surgery (Cholecystectomy)

The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of the upper abdomen, underneath the liver. Its purpose is to store bile, which is used to digest fat. Occasionally, the gallbladder can develop mineral stones, called gallstones. If they are large enough, gallstones can block the ducts in the gallbladder and cause swelling and infection. Gallstones can be treated with lifestyle changes and medication, but sometimes this is not enough. In these cases, it is best to remove the gallbladder before it can cause more serious problems. The surgical removal of the gallbladder is called a cholecystectomy.

Today, most gallbladder surgeries are done laparoscopically. Four tiny incisions are made in the abdomen, and small tools are inserted through these tiny incisions to perform the surgery. Because the incisions are much smaller, recovery time is much faster with this type of surgery. Patients are usually discharged from the hospital the same day. Sometimes, open surgery is used to remove a gallbladder. In this type of surgery, a cut about six inches long is made in the upper right abdomen. After the gallbladder is removed, it is sutured or stapled closed. With open surgery, patients usually stay in the hospital for two to three days to recover before they are discharged.

Gallbladder removal, like any surgery, carries some risks, such as bleeding, infection, or the development of blood clots. Doctors will tell patients how to minimize their risk for complications. After surgery, patients are advised to avoid strenuous activity for several days. They should not soak in a bath until their sutures or staples have been removed. Patients should wash hands before touching the area around the incision. It will take a couple of days until patients feel like themselves again and a few weeks until their scar has healed and faded.

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is a procedure that promotes weight loss by reducing the stomach and altering how the digestive system absorbs and processes food. The procedure treats morbid obesity, where one's weight impairs day-to-day function or poses serious health risks. Gastric bypass surgery is used only after other weight loss treatments are unsuccessful.

Generally, gastric bypass surgery is performed on patients who have a BMI of 40 or greater, or a BMI of 35 or greater with a weight-related health condition such as type 2 diabetes. Bariatric surgeons frequently expect patients to first attempt natural weight loss for about six months to prove to the surgeon that the patient is capable of maintaining a post-surgery diet and exercise regimen.

For obese patients, gastric bypass surgery has many potential health and weight benefits. Gastric bypass surgery restricts the amount of food the stomach contains, as well as:

Reduces the calories the stomach absorbs
Alters gastrointestinal hormones, which help to heal obesity-induced metabolic syndrome
Suppresses appetite
Alleviates conditions caused or exacerbated by obesity, such as obstructive sleep apnea, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes
Contributes to mental health by improving self-esteem

During gastric bypass surgery, the stomach is stapled to reduce its size, and a small hole is created in the stomach and attached to the middle section of the small intestine. This direct connection between the stomach and the middle of the small intestine creates a channel for some food to bypass the normal route. By bypassing the upper small intestine and larger region of the stomach, food is not fully absorbed and patients do not retain the same amount of calories as before. This procedure is also sometimes referred to as "Roux-en-Y" gastric bypass surgery. Some bariatric surgeons may perform a "laparoscopic bypass" which uses a tiny camera (laparoscope) to guide the procedure.

Gastric bypass surgery is performed with general anesthesia and as preparation, a liquid diet is required for two weeks prior to undergoing the surgery. After the surgery, patients will spend about two days in the hospital and may miss work for two to three weeks. In the first month after the surgery, patients are only able to consume small portions of liquid or soft food. Even after reintroducing solid food, patients feel full quickly, sometimes after eating just two or three tablespoons. Some patients experience "dumping syndrome" (rapid processing of food into the small intestine), which is common during the recovery process. Gastric bypass surgery patients must also make permanent lifestyle changes. For example, gastric bypass patients are required to take vitamins for life after surgery and required to forever avoid certain foods, such as alcohol, sugar, and high fat food.

While the gastric bypass recovery process can be challenging, surgery results are usually swift: most gastric bypass surgery patients lose nearly half to two thirds of their starting weight within two years of surgery.

Weight Loss Surgery (Bariatric Surgery)

Bariatric or weight-loss surgery is a surgical procedure performed to help significantly obese patients lose weight when more traditional methods, such as dieting and exercise, have not helped. Depending on the type, these surgeries change the gastrointestinal tract to limit how much food can be eaten and also change how food is absorbed by the body. Of the various bariatric surgeries available, the most common is gastric bypass.

By far the most common of the gastric bypass surgeries is called Roux-en-Y. During this surgery, part of the stomach and small intestine are detached from the gastrointestinal tract, in order to make the tract smaller. The surgeon divides the stomach into two parts. The working stomach, at the end of the esophagus, is now tiny - only the size of a walnut. This makes patients feel full after eating a small amount of food. Then the small intestine is also divided, and after bypassing a section of the small intestine to reduce food absorption, the intestine is attached to the small stomach pouch. The patient now has a working stomach and intestine like before, only much smaller.

Because gastric bypass is used to treat extreme obesity, it can reduce the risk of some of the problems associated with obesity. Gastric bypass can help treat or reduce the risk for such conditions as heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and type 2 diabetes. However, it is a major surgery and also carries risks itself. Any surgery can lead to infection, bleeding, or blood clots, and weight loss surgery in particular carries risks of leaks in the gastrointestinal system, malnutrition, bowel obstructions, and vomiting.

Typically patients are considered candidates for gastric bypass surgery if they have a BMI greater than 40, or sometimes if they have a BMI between 35 and 40 but are suffering from obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes. The outlook is generally good, with most patients losing between 50-75% of their excess weight in 1-2 years. However, patients must follow strict diet guidelines so that the stomach can heal, starting with no food at all, then followed by a liquid diet for some time. For many severely obese patients who have tried strict diets before without success, gastric bypass surgery is the tool that allows them to finally achieve their weight loss and health goals.

In The News

“The seminars are presented by Dr. Andrew Duffy, director of bariatric and metabolic surgery for the Yale New Haven Health System, and Dr. Saber Ghiassi Bridgeport Hospital site director of the Yale...”—"Office hosts talk on weight-loss surgert", Associated Press News, July 2017

“Dr. Saber Ghiassi joined Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery Associates Medical Group...”—"Board Room 5/1", Fresno Bee, April 2011

bypass surgery	14
doctor visit	287
gastrointestinal procedures	29
hospital care	67
inpatient care	67
minimally invasive procedures	29
weight management	13

**Gender**
Male	96
Female	150

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	174
Black	0
Hispanic	53
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	111
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	103

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	67
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	43
Depression	28
Chronic Kidney Disease	24
Asthma	20
Osteoperosis	9
Atrial Fibrilation	5
Heart Failure	19
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	59
Dementia	4
Cancer	11

bypass surgery	18
doctor visit	304
gastrointestinal procedures	93
hospital care	46
inpatient care	46
minimally invasive procedures	93
weight management	35

**Gender**
Male	93
Female	171

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	188
Black	0
Hispanic	60
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	122
From 75 to 84	24
85 and over	14
Less than 65	104

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	58
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	34
Depression	32
Chronic Kidney Disease	20
Asthma	18
Osteoperosis	7
Atrial Fibrilation	6
Heart Failure	17
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	9
Diabetes	56
Dementia	5
Cancer	11

doctor visit	29
hospital care	16
inpatient care	16

**Gender**
Male	58
Female	88

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	94
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	54
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	70

doctor visit	68
hospital care	35
inpatient care	35

**Gender**
Male	34
Female	67

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	66
Black	0
Hispanic	17
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	34
From 75 to 84	19
85 and over	11
Less than 65	37

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	60
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	41
Depression	45
Chronic Kidney Disease	43
Asthma	32
Osteoperosis	0
Atrial Fibrilation	18
Heart Failure	27
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	15
Diabetes	40
Dementia	14
Cancer	11

doctor visit	147
gastrointestinal procedures	25
hospital care	49
inpatient care	49
minimally invasive procedures	25

**Gender**
Male	61
Female	92

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	102
Black	20
Hispanic	20
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	54
From 75 to 84	32
85 and over	16
Less than 65	51

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	59
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	40
Depression	33
Chronic Kidney Disease	44
Asthma	20
Osteoperosis	20
Atrial Fibrilation	12
Heart Failure	24
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	19
Diabetes	48
Dementia	13
Cancer	17

doctor visit	130
gastrointestinal procedures	6
hospital care	90
inpatient care	90
minimally invasive procedures	6

**Gender**
Male	66
Female	87

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	112
Black	0
Hispanic	21
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	59
From 75 to 84	29
85 and over	21
Less than 65	44

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	73
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	40
Depression	42
Chronic Kidney Disease	42
Asthma	15
Osteoperosis	14
Atrial Fibrilation	14
Heart Failure	27
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	13
Diabetes	41
Dementia	20
Cancer	15

doctor visit	140
hospital care	65
inpatient care	65

**Gender**
Male	69
Female	89

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	114
Black	0
Hispanic	23
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	64
From 75 to 84	36
85 and over	20
Less than 65	38

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	37
Depression	43
Chronic Kidney Disease	41
Asthma	18
Osteoperosis	11
Atrial Fibrilation	14
Heart Failure	26
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	17
Diabetes	41
Dementia	16
Cancer	18

doctor visit	66
hospital care	54
inpatient care	54

**Gender**
Male	56
Female	75

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	99
Black	14
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	52
From 75 to 84	35
85 and over	13
Less than 65	31

Hypertension	71
High Cholesterol	72
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	41
Depression	34
Chronic Kidney Disease	45
Asthma	12
Osteoperosis	20
Atrial Fibrilation	15
Heart Failure	24
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	20
Diabetes	41
Dementia	19
Cancer	14

**Gender**
Male	72
Female	79

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	127
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	64
From 75 to 84	44
85 and over	20
Less than 65	23

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	72
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	34
Depression	34
Chronic Kidney Disease	38
Asthma	15
Osteoperosis	17
Atrial Fibrilation	17
Heart Failure	17
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	13
Diabetes	33
Dementia	14
Cancer	13

doctor visit	107
gastrointestinal procedures	11
hospital care	16
inpatient care	16
minimally invasive procedures	11

**Gender**
Male	49
Female	71

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	91
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	45
From 75 to 84	42
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	23
Depression	32
Chronic Kidney Disease	15
Asthma	23
Osteoperosis	15
Atrial Fibrilation	18
Heart Failure	12
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	18
Diabetes	35
Dementia	0
Cancer	23

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2013 - 2022

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD treated as a bariatric surgeon in Fairfield, CT were hospital care, inpatient care, minimally invasive procedures and gastrointestinal procedures.

abdominal surgery	12
bypass surgery	16
doctor visit	142
gastrointestinal procedures	33
hospital care	49
inpatient care	49
minimally invasive procedures	33
weight management	24

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2013 - 2022

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD.

**Gender**
Male	65
Female	96

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	3
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	116
Hispanic	19
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Other	0

**Age**
75 to 84	26
85 and over	11
Less than 65	50
65 to 74	65

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD From 2013 - 2022

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD treated were hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and ischemic heart disease.

Hypertension	74
High Cholesterol	67
Stroke	1
Ischemic Heart Disease	37
Depression	36
Chronic Kidney Disease	34
Asthma	19
Osteoporosis	11
Heart Failure	21
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	15
Diabetes	44
Atrial Fibrillation	11
Cancer	13
Dementia	10

Education & Training

He completed residency at Mount Sinai School of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals. He has a state license in Connecticut.

Residency: Mount Sinai School of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals

Licensed In: Connecticut

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

Yale Medicine

Yale University

Yale New Haven Health

Insurance Information

Please note: Insurance information may change at any time, and the provider may accept your insurance plan even if it is not listed below. Please contact the provider's office to confirm that your insurance is accepted.

Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD appears to accept the following insurance providers: CorVel, Great-West Healthcare, WellCare, MultiPlan, Community Care Network (CCN), United Healthcare, Aetna, TRICARE, Oxford Health Plans, Medicare, Consumer Health Network, Medicaid, Humana, Cigna, Anthem, ConnectiCare, Focus Health Solutions, Prime Health, First Health, Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS), COMPWORKS, HEALTHCARE VALUE MANAGEMENT, MANAGED COMP, HUSKY and PREFERRED HEALTH WORKS.

Insurance Accepted by Provider includes:

According to our sources, Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD accepts the following insurance providers:

CorVel

Great-West Healthcare

WellCare

MultiPlan

Community Care Network (CCN)

United Healthcare

Aetna

TRICARE

Oxford Health Plans

Medicare

Consumer Health Network

Medicaid

Humana

Cigna

Anthem

ConnectiCare

Focus Health Solutions

Prime Health

First Health

Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)

COMPWORKS

HEALTHCARE VALUE MANAGEMENT

MANAGED COMP

HUSKY

PREFERRED HEALTH WORKS

Show More

Ratings & Reviews

Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD does not have any reviews yet, be the first to leave a review of Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD here: Leave a Review

(No ratings)

Leave a Review

General Payments

These charts describe general payments received by Dr. Saber Ghiassi, MPH, MD. Doctors may receive payments for a number of reasons, including meal compensation, travel compensation, and consulting.

**Payments by Company**
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.	$12,442 DAVINCI XI $10,750	Da Vinci Surgical System $1,692
Ethicon US, LLC	$1,516 Endoscopy Endocutters $1,035	Endoscopy: Endocutters $127	ECHELON ENDOPATH $123	Sutures $85	Band $75	Other $70
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.	$638 BIO A Tissue Reinforcement $265	SEAMGUARD Bioabsorbable Staple $209	BIO-A Tissue Reinforcement $102	BIOA Tissue Reinforcement $44	SEAMGUARD Bioabsorbable Staple Line Reinforcement $18
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.	$305 $305
Medtronic, Inc.	$193 Sonicision $124	$69
Other	$617 Myrbetriq $123	4-K $110	Sleep and Respiratory Care $51	Wegovy $43	DAV-OptiFixTM $33	Other $258

**Types of Payments**
Education	$11,055
Travel and Lodging	$2,469
Food and Beverage	$2,187

Biography

Dr. Saber Ghiassi is a specialist in general surgery and bariatric surgery. Clinical interests for Dr. Ghiassi include laparoscopic splenectomy, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, and inguinal hernia. He is professionally affiliated with Yale Medicine and Yale New Haven Health. Dr. Ghiassi can take several insurance carriers, including Anthem, ConnectiCare, and Blue California. Dr. Ghiassi has an open panel in Westport, CT according to Yale New Haven Health. He trained at a hospital affiliated with Mount Sinai School of Medicine for his residency.