A united team for the "good of patients" at the Fréjus Saint-Raphaël hospital center

Teamwork because "it's important in surgery. There's commitment, we ask each other questions all the time, there's a lot of communication between all the doctors, radiologists, anesthesiologists... And that changes everything for our patients," argued the specialists who are driving the visceral surgery department of the intercommunal hospital center.

The unit has just been strengthened with Dr. Héloïse Seux, who has joined Dr. Alessandro Gandini, with training focused on digestive cancer surgery from Marseille and Lyon, Dr. Mourad Tidafi and Dr. Ahmad Ataya, who is dedicated to the development of bariatric surgery within a multidisciplinary organization.

The objective is to offer the local population access to digestive and bariatric surgery close to home, at the Fréjus-Saint-Raphaël hospital, to enable treatment of colorectal, gastric and hepatobiliopancreatic tumors, in partnership with the Nice University Hospital, while ensuring a smooth and efficient on-call service. With this reinforcement, emergency operations can be carried out 24 hours a day, seven days a week: "In the summer, there are more emergencies in this area, appendicitis, peritonitis, occlusions, cholecystitis, abdominal stab wounds..."

“We are responsive and that speeds things up for patients.”

"The advantage of the Fréjus hospital is its human scale. We can discuss cases in a short time. We are more responsive, and that speeds up things for patients. I've been here since 2013, and I stay because of this team spirit. We can count on each other and take a serious approach," emphasized Dr. Mourad Tidafi.

An opinion shared by Dr. Héloïse Seux, who comes from Marseille and La Timone: "I found a supportive team here for the benefit of the patients. A good understanding, which is not true everywhere. Here, surgeons are not in competition. On the contrary, we help each other. The department can handle scheduled surgeries such as incisional hernias, bladder hernias, proctology, but also colon, stomach, and rectal cancers. Because there are important gastroenterology and medical oncology departments in Fréjus, as well as intensive care, which allows for the development of more serious surgery. It is a very comprehensive whole, and that is why I chose this hospital, a favorable structure. Cooperation with the gastroenterology, digestive oncology, radiology, and anesthesia-intensive care teams ensures collegiality and safety in patient care."

"Our desire for long-term commitment and our belief in the public system are essential drivers of our approach," they added. "And it should be noted that there are no excess fees here."

Dr. Héloïse Seux specializes in cancer surgery: "Beating cancer is a fantasy. We want to take on this challenge. I chose surgery because we can eradicate the disease more concretely than by giving medication. We remove the tumor, we provide the solution to the problem, that's what I like, it's more satisfying even when the surgery is long and complicated. We feel truly useful, we see the result right away. The image of the surgeon that we only see in the operating room is really false. A very strong relationship of trust is established with the patient."

"We see the patients and explain everything to them, even the possible complications... especially the complications," added Dr. Mourad Tidafi. "It's a very demanding job, we can't afford to make a mistake. We go through the operation the day before, and even the day before that. It's very stressful. We're affecting the person's physical integrity, so we have to be as loyal as possible. Patients appreciate that."

Bariatric surgery in hospital

The Raphaëlo-Fréjus hospital is also developing its bariatric surgery with Dr. Ahmad Ataya: "Obesity is a real problem that affects 17% of the population and leads to numerous respiratory, cardiovascular, and cancer complications. And nearly half the population is overweight."

"I mean, surgery is effective for long-term obesity treatment. And we specialize at Fréjus Hospital, performing 80 operations per year. The results are very good, and the patient's quality of life and life expectancy improve after surgery," Dr. Ataya said. "The operations are covered by social security."

"We help the patient work on other factors, eating disorders, stress, sleep… he continued. We look for comorbidities, hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, we carry out tests, a digestive assessment, an anatomical inspection of the stomach. The patient joins a therapeutic education program whose objectives and duration are negotiated with him and which will include individual consultations, group workshops led by psychologists, sports instructors, nurses, dieticians… to permanently change the way of eating." The professionals maintain nutritional monitoring adapted to each stage.