John Bagnato MD.

Dr. John Bagnato

Weight Loss Surgeon Dr. John Bagnato Specializing in LAP-BAND surgery for residents of south Atlanta and surrounding areas

Dr. V. John Bagnato has been a general surgeon in Macon, Georgia since 1998. He performed his first LAP-BAND® surgery in 2002 and has provided this bariatric surgery to hundreds of patients.

Dr. V. John Bagnato received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi in 1978. Four years later, he earned his medical degree (MD) from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. He completed his surgical residency at University Hospital, in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1987, and has been a board certified surgeon since 1988.

While Dr. Bagnato was completing his residency, advances in minimally invasive surgical techniques using miniaturized cameras and instruments were being developed. Dr. Bagnato quickly saw the advantages, which include reduced post-operative pain, faster recovery, much smaller incisions, and less scarring that these procedures offered patients.

Dr. Bagnato’s career is filled with many firsts related to the development and use of these specialized surgical scopes.

In 1989, Dr. Bagnato performed the first laparoscopic gallbladder surgery in Mississippi, well before the majority of surgeons were aware of the new procedure. He was the first surgeon in the world to remove a portion of lung using thoracoscopy and the endo GIA stapler device.

Additionally, Dr. Bagnato was among the first surgeons to perform laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (a procedure used to treat acid reflux and repair a hiatal hernia) and laparoscopic removal of gallstones lodged in the main bile duct.

Dr. Bagnato has worked with the major surgical equipment manufactures, most notably US Surgical, Wolf, and Olympus on development of new surgical tools and techniques. He developed a thoroscope (chest surgery device) with Olympus and patented a unique technique for tying sutures inside the body during laparoscopy procedures.

Dr. Bagnato has taught courses in laparoscopic surgery at hospitals in Mississippi and has trained over two thousand surgeons from the US and Italy in these procedures. He has also lectured around the US and Europe as part of continuing medical education courses and medical society meetings and has performed surgical procedures for teaching purposes in Italy.

His experience with innovative laparoscopic techniques led Dr. Bagnato to recognize and embrace the advantages of the LAP-BAND System as the safest, most cost effective form of bariatric surgery. Dr. Bagnato has performed over 5000 bariatric  surgeries to date. He has improved some aspects of the surgery to make the procedure more efficient and control the cost. Dr. Bagnato is committed to providing patients with the best possible care and surgical results while keeping the surgery as affordable as possible.