Institute for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Bariatric Center

Dr. Noonan was very easy to talk to and answered all of my questions. My surgery was on Nov 29th and went well. I was home the next day and am feeling good. I would recommend her to anyone who is interested in WLS.

My review will be short and sweet I am a patient of his and know so many patients of his from our awesome support group at Abington and he is truely amazing. He explains everything so well, his bedside manner is amazing, and he truly wants to do what is going to be best for you and your long term future with your weight battle. I cannot praise him and all the staff at IMBS because they help every step of the way. ( I am 9 weeks post op)

I am now one-week out from a gastric by-pass performed by Dr Antanavicius ("Dr. G"), who is associated with the ABMS Center of Excellence at Abington Hospital in Abington PA. Dr. G spoke very openly with me, and helped me choose the type of surgery that would be most appropriate for me. The indepth health analysis that he required is consistent with an ABMS Center of Excellence, and identified additional health issues that I have, and also that I had no issues in other areas! The practice has a good working relationship with important consultants such as cardiologists and pulmonologists who are very experienced working with bariatric patients, and helped me understand how to reduce risks of surgery. Dr G addressed questions about these and other my other issues that I already knew about, as well as all the surgery risks.

I am also very impressed with all the rest of the team at Abington IBMS. The nutritionist at the practice also was very practical and positive in our interactions, and provided workable ideas to improve my eating habits. I never thought I'd kick the diet coke habit before surgery! The nurse practioners took the time to answer all my questions from medication to diet to more mundane things like my doubts and fears. The scheduler was also very helpful to understand the insurance maze, and to help me make decisions that worked the best for me. Overall, nothing surprised me about the hospital experience, as that had been outlined and discussed many times.

On the day of surgery, Dr G was very focused. I really appreciated the attention to detail and all that I observed that showed me a focus on patient safety. I was very happy that he also took a close look at my hiatial hernia, and decided to fix it while doing the gastric bypass. He was great with my son who came to the hospital and including waking him up to tell him how the surgery went.

The nursing staff at the hospital was very professional. They would check in quickly to see what my concern was, and then prioritized it appropriately with everything they were doing. Issues with my IV etc, were handled immediately. To balance this review, I did find the hospital beds quite uncomfortable, and was glad to be able to sit up in the chair for a good deal of my stay.

To me, it is really amazing what can be done with hi-tech laproscopic surgery. I was surprised that I was able to go home within 36 hours of entering the hospital.

I highly recommend Dr G and the entire IMBS group at Abingtonm for a very positive experience with bariatric weight loss surgery.

I highly recommend Dr. Antanavicius and the entire Abington group. Everybody is knowledgeable and friendly. I had researched the DS thoroughly and had many questions for the nurses and for Dr. G. I loved Dr. G. He was fabulous and has a great bed side manner. His staff is extremely supportive and they have their own experiences and are a great support venue.

My surgery was one year ago - I chose Dr. G on purpose being convinced that he was my right choice- and I was right - surgery went well and I recovered much faster than expected with no complications. A lot has to do with the skill and the unique technical savvy of Dr. G with the Da Vinci robot. Sadly I could not meet Dr. G at my 1 year visit because he was called to an emergency but I hope to meet him in 6 months and thank him in person for my new life and new found health: all my comorbidities are gone and I lost over 100 pounds Thank you Dr. G!
Mariana B.

On May 11, 2011 I had Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy with Dr. Antanavicius, better known as Dr. G. I cannot put into words how grateful and blessed I feel to have had him as my surgeon. My surgery went perfectly, I had virtually no pain after words and at almost 1 month out I have zero complaints. I attribute all this success to Dr. G and his amazing staff.
I live about 2 hours away from Dr. G's office and his staff made sure that my appointments were arranged for my convience, I truly appreciated that. All the staff from the front desk, to his nurse, to Donna the NP were awesome....I cannot possibly tell you how nice they all are!!! I recall being in the hospital and his PA telling me "No matter where you are we'll get you to us if there is a problem. You are our patient for life." That statement made me feel fantastic :)
Dr. G himself is truly a great guy. He immediately made me feel comfortable, he explains everything very well and has a confidence that makes you feel in "safe hands"! I couldn't have chosen a better surgeon and urge anyone in the Philadelphia area to check out Dr. G and the Institute for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
They also have a fantastic self pay option that makes getting WLS for those of us who's insurance will not cover possible!! Thank you Dr. G!!

I was given the opportunity to meet with several surgeons before deciding on Dr. G. His direct and positive attitude, coupled with his vast experience and interest in allowing me to be part of the overall decision clinched it for me! He's a wonderful man, with the skill and precision of a fine mechanic/engineer, all of the qualities that a great surgeon should have! No ego's at Abington, only the desire to help and care for this dreadful disease. Once you are a patient, you are always his patient, that was made clear to me by "G" and all of the staff and other Doc's at Abington. I am down 90+ lbs in 6 months and have never felt better, my life has changed significantly and Dr G's office is always there for help and support, regardless of the question or situation. He explained everything to me as clearly as one would or should expect, and offered me several different options. The after care support groups are excellent, although I wish that they would include or offer an excersise management program as I believe this to be a huge componet of aftercare, although I am knowledgable on what I need to do, I still think it's important to offer. The hospital was OK, I felt that the nursing staff at Abington was short staffed, and many times I had to wait for extended periods of time for pain med's and care, so I would probably give them a 3.5 out of 5 for care, but overall they were fine. The Nurse Practioner's at Abington are AWESOME! They are some of the best caregivers that I have ever had the pleasure of working with, and they get it done, period! If you want a great experince with a fine group of people, quality care and support, stop looking and go to Abington, Dr. G is your man, and if you can't get him, Dr. Bonnani, the centers Director is fantastic and down to earth. Good luck and God Bless!

Dr G at Abington and his staff are the best! Not only do they have great bedside manners, they are top in their field which gave me an enormous amount of confidence going into this surgery. I researched all weight loss options for a long time and this was not an easy decision. I am now two months out and doing very well...already down 55 lbs. If you decide to have the DS I would highly recommend him for this surgery.
-Rosemary

Dr Noonan is great! She is pretty laid back in her demeanor. Goes the extra mile to make things comfortable. Her staff are also wonderful! I had my surgery on 1/4 and I was home the evening of the 5th. Having a little of a complication post op, but she is went out of her way to see me off schedule to verify that things were going well. Would recommend her in a heartbeat!

My first impression of Dr. Antanavicius was that he is confident without being boastful -- he has a calming presence. He was the presenting surgeon during my initial information seminar meeting at IMBS and I was thrilled when the office staff paired me with him. "Dr. G" takes his time to answer questions and address concerns, which I appreciate. He even went the extra mile for me with my insurance company to make a special request via peer-to-peer review.

All the office staff is pleasant and competent. They operate effectively and efficiently and I'm very pleased that follow-up care is stressed and encouraged. The education provided pre-op is excellent! Patients are required to attend a support group meeting and a nutrition class before surgery (among other requirements and tests), detailed educational booklets for each surgery type are given to patients and there's even a test 2 weeks before surgery to make sure patients understand all the information that's been presented. I found IMBS to be very thorough with its requirement to get various tests and clearances from specialists to minimize the risk of complications.

I feel very fortunate to have had my RNY performed by Dr. Antanavicius and honestly have nothing but positive things to say.

I've been dealing with Dr G. for about 2 years before i finally decided to get my Ds surgery. I've dealt with other doctors, but Dr G was def, very informative and he made me fully understand what was in store for me once this surgery was done. He always answered all of my questions in full never left me with a doubt. When i finally got the surgery done on 02/03/11 he was there every step of the way. Thank you Dr G. for this life changing procedure. If i had to do it again i would not change a thing...