Lubomyr Kuzmak
Encyclopedia
Lubomyr Kuzmak was a pioneer within the bariatric surgical
community inventing the adjustable silicone band
.
, known today as Baligrod, Poland
. Despite growing up in the totalitarian environment of oppressive Hitlerism and Stalinism
, Dr. Kuzmak made the most of his youth, being an avid participant in competitive sports, such as skiing, swimming and motorcycle racing. He graduated in 1953 from the
medical school in Lodz, Poland, and continued postgraduate studies in surgery for 7 years at the Bytom campus of the Silesian University. He joined the faculty of this university in 1961, advanced to the rank of Associate Professor, and obtained the degree of Doctor of Science
(ScD) in 1965.
In the same year, Kuzmak emigrated to the USA, where he married his wife Roxana and their daughter Roxolana was born. From 1966 to 1971, he was resident and chief resident in general surgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center
in Livingston, New Jersey
. He later developed a busy private practice in the same area, and opened the Surgical Center for Obesity at Irvington
General Hospital in 1981.
. He positioned the band between the short gastric vessels
(creating a pouch larger than is accepted nowadays), and also sutured the stomach over the band to prevent slippage.
In 1986, he published results in two journals. He also wrote a book chapter on the subject, presenting results on 212 patients with what he called non-inflatable silicone gastric banding. In 1991, he published 7-year results of his series. Kuzmak was an active member of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery
since the meetings were held in the early 1980s in Iowa City, under the auspices of Edward Mason. He also contributed to the symposia organized by MAL Fobi in Los Angeles
and Nicola Scopinaro in Genoa
, as well as to many other American and international congresses.
In 1985, Kuzmak mobilized his inventive talent to design an adjustable band, adding an inflatable part connected to a tube and a reservoir (later redesigned with a stainless steel base), all made of radiopaque
silicone. He obtained a US patent for the inflatable device on June 3, 1986, performing the same month his first operation. In his chapter, Kuzmak reports on 32 procedures, 21 primary and 11 revision. He published results of the stoma adjustable silicone gastric banding by laparotomy in 1991 and 1992, on 121 and 156 patients, respectively.
His invention was eventually improved and adapted to be placed laparoscopically (Lap-Band), by the then-named BioEnterics Company in Carpinteria, California
. In the early 1990s, Kuzmak trained numerous bariatric surgeons at international workshops, initially from Italy, Belgium and Australia, on the use of his adjustable gastric band. An indefatigable ingenuity led him to obtain seven U.S. and another seven international patents for his various inventions.
Dr. Kuzmak was a member and active participant at the meetings of several surgical societies, served on the Editorial Board of the Obesity Surgery journal, and was also a prominent member of the Ukrainian community in the U.S. He was recognized with Distinguished Honors for his humanitarian services by Americans for Human Rights in Ukraine. His contributions and place in the history of bariatric surgery in the 20th century are undeniable.
In addition to his work in bariatric surgical Lubomyr Kuzmak will also be remembered for his friendly, warm personality and gentlemanly dignity.
Bariatric surgery
Bariatric surgery includes a variety of procedures performed on people who are obese. Weight loss is achieved by reducing the size of the stomach with an implanted medical device or through removal of a portion of the stomach or by resecting and re-routing the small intestines...
community inventing the adjustable silicone band
Adjustable gastric band
A laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, commonly referred to as a lap band, is an inflatable silicone device that is placed around the top portion of the stomach, via laparoscopic surgery, in order to treat obesity...
.
Education and the early years
Lubomyr Kuzmak was born August 2, 1929, in a former region of the UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, known today as Baligrod, Poland
Baligród
Baligród is a village in Lesko County, in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship of south-eastern Poland. It is also the seat of the municipality called Gmina Baligród. Location: 49°21' N 22°17' E...
. Despite growing up in the totalitarian environment of oppressive Hitlerism and Stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
, Dr. Kuzmak made the most of his youth, being an avid participant in competitive sports, such as skiing, swimming and motorcycle racing. He graduated in 1953 from the
medical school in Lodz, Poland, and continued postgraduate studies in surgery for 7 years at the Bytom campus of the Silesian University. He joined the faculty of this university in 1961, advanced to the rank of Associate Professor, and obtained the degree of Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
(ScD) in 1965.
In the same year, Kuzmak emigrated to the USA, where he married his wife Roxana and their daughter Roxolana was born. From 1966 to 1971, he was resident and chief resident in general surgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center
Saint Barnabas Medical Center
Saint Barnabas Medical Center , an affiliate of the Barnabas Health , is a 597-bed non-profit major teaching hospital located in Livingston, New Jersey...
in Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 29,366.Livingston was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 5, 1813, from portions of Caldwell Township and Springfield...
. He later developed a busy private practice in the same area, and opened the Surgical Center for Obesity at Irvington
Irvington, New Jersey
Irvington is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 53,926, a decline of 11.2% from the 60,695 residents enumerated in the 2000 Census.-Geography:...
General Hospital in 1981.
A pioneering career
In 1983, Kuzmak developed a Dacron-reinforced silicone band with a buckle, along with a banding instrument and a calibrating tube with electronic sensors to size the stomaStoma
In botany, a stoma is a pore, found in the leaf and stem epidermis that is used forgas exchange. The pore is bordered by a pair of specialized parenchyma cells known as guard cells that are responsible for regulating the size of the opening...
. He positioned the band between the short gastric vessels
Gastrosplenic ligament
The gastrosplenic ligament is part of the greater omentum.Embryonically the gastrosplenic ligament is derived from the dorsal mesogastrium....
(creating a pouch larger than is accepted nowadays), and also sutured the stomach over the band to prevent slippage.
In 1986, he published results in two journals. He also wrote a book chapter on the subject, presenting results on 212 patients with what he called non-inflatable silicone gastric banding. In 1991, he published 7-year results of his series. Kuzmak was an active member of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery
American Society for Bariatric Surgery
The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery ----American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery is a United States medical organization founded in 1983 to advance bariatic surgery....
since the meetings were held in the early 1980s in Iowa City, under the auspices of Edward Mason. He also contributed to the symposia organized by MAL Fobi in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Nicola Scopinaro in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, as well as to many other American and international congresses.
In 1985, Kuzmak mobilized his inventive talent to design an adjustable band, adding an inflatable part connected to a tube and a reservoir (later redesigned with a stainless steel base), all made of radiopaque
Radiodensity
Radiodensity refers to the relative inability of electromagnetic radiation, particularly X-rays, to pass through a particular material. Radiolucency indicates greater transparency or "transradiancy" to X-ray photons...
silicone. He obtained a US patent for the inflatable device on June 3, 1986, performing the same month his first operation. In his chapter, Kuzmak reports on 32 procedures, 21 primary and 11 revision. He published results of the stoma adjustable silicone gastric banding by laparotomy in 1991 and 1992, on 121 and 156 patients, respectively.
His invention was eventually improved and adapted to be placed laparoscopically (Lap-Band), by the then-named BioEnterics Company in Carpinteria, California
Carpinteria, California
Carpinteria is a small oceanside city located in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California, east of Santa Barbara and northwest of Ventura. The population was 13,040 at the 2010 census, down from 14,194 at the 2000 census....
. In the early 1990s, Kuzmak trained numerous bariatric surgeons at international workshops, initially from Italy, Belgium and Australia, on the use of his adjustable gastric band. An indefatigable ingenuity led him to obtain seven U.S. and another seven international patents for his various inventions.
Dr. Kuzmak was a member and active participant at the meetings of several surgical societies, served on the Editorial Board of the Obesity Surgery journal, and was also a prominent member of the Ukrainian community in the U.S. He was recognized with Distinguished Honors for his humanitarian services by Americans for Human Rights in Ukraine. His contributions and place in the history of bariatric surgery in the 20th century are undeniable.
In addition to his work in bariatric surgical Lubomyr Kuzmak will also be remembered for his friendly, warm personality and gentlemanly dignity.