Christian Birkedal, MD

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Christian Birkedal, MD serves as the Medical Director of Bariatric Services at AdventHealth Daytona Beach. He previously served as the Medical Director of the Wound Treatment Center and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Capital Regional Medical Center in Tennessee, and he is an expert in robotic-assisted surgical procedures. A graduate of the University of Alabama School of Medicine, he completed his general surgery residency with Baptist Health System in Birmingham, Alabama. He is welcoming new patients and accepts most insurance plans.

What You Should Know About Bariatric Surgery

Have you been battling obesity and are ready to live a healthier, more fulfilling life? Dr. Christian Birkedal and his staff are here to help you attain your weight loss and improved health-related goals. We offer both surgical and non-surgical weight loss options. Whether you simply need some help getting back on track with the knowledgeable direction from our medical weight loss team, or if you are interested in a surgical approach, we develop a plan specific to each patient’s needs and goals to help them on their path to a healthier life. Our team is committed to long-term weight loss management and is here to support you as you conquer your weight loss goals.

Medically Supervised Weight Loss

Diets do not work. We sit down with each patient and analyze their current nutritional intake and physical activity level; then we formulate a nutritional plan that serves as a blueprint for their success whether they do or do not have weight loss surgery. Through our nutrition and wellness appointments our patients are educated about dietary intake, physical activity, behavior modification, and strategies to implement their changes as a new lifestyle and not a diet.

Surgical Weight Loss

If medically supervised weight loss has not provided you with the results you desire, you may be a candidate for weight loss surgery. While each insurance company has different requirements for patients to qualify for surgery, most require a patient to have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 and have a co-morbidity like diabetes, sleep apnea, or hypertension, or a BMI greater than 40 without a co-morbidity. Our experienced team will explore your insurance benefits to determine if your insurance company covers weight loss surgery and what requirements you must meet. For further information on what your current BMI is click here.

Dr. Birkedal offers the following surgical weight loss options:

Sleeve Gastrectomy / Gastric Sleeve - This laparoscopic procedure is performed through several small incisions through the patient’s abdomen. Surgically, 75-85% of the stomach is removed, leaving behind a smaller gastric pouch that restricts the amount of food consumed. The gastric sleeve procedure works in two ways; first it limits how much food can be eaten at one sitting. Second, by removing the portion of the stomach that produces a hormone called ghrelin, which regulates a person’s hunger, people will feel less hungry and will feel fuller faster.

Roux-en Y Gastric Bypass - The gastric bypass, or Roux-en Y gastric bypass, is a procedure that creates a smaller pouch from a patient’s stomach and then reroutes the intestines. When the intestines are rerouted the body digests and absorbs food differently. This change in addition to a smaller pouch requiring the patient to eat less and feel fuller, results in weight loss.

Surgical Outcomes

Metabolic and bariatric surgery can lead to the improvement or resolution of various obesity-related co-morbid conditions, including but not limited to:

Triathlons, mountain biking, adventure racing

As a bariatric and general surgeon, Dr. Birkedal believes it is important to treat patients the way he would treat his own wife and family. With compassion and understanding, he joins you in your journey to embrace a healthy lifestyle. He considers it a blessing, and his true calling, to care for you and help improve your health.