Your Impact: New Tool Means More Bariatric Patients Can Get Surgery Sooner
Published Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Lisa Robinson, OR Team Lead, and Ron Garon, Manager of Perioperative Services at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, with the new Nathanson retractor that will help increase bariatric surgery capacity and reduce wait times for patients across Northwestern Ontario.
For some patients living with obesity, bariatric surgery is a possible option that offers hope for better health and quality of life. As you might imagine, specialty surgery requires specialty equipment. One of those tools is called a Nathanson retractor – and surgeons can't perform bariatric surgery without it.
Previously, surgeons with the Regional Bariatric Care Centre at the Hospital had enough retractors to perform three surgeries in one day. However, thanks to your support of the Health Sciences Foundation through your donations, your participation in Foundation events, and your purchase of Thunder Bay 50/50 tickets, surgeons can now do four surgeries in a day. That increased capacity will mean bariatric patients can get their surgeries sooner – and may help reduce waitlists for other patients, too.
“The Nathanson retractor is a crucial tool for bariatric surgery,” said Ron Garon, Manager of Perioperative Services. “It is the ‘steady hand' the surgeon needs to safely move and support the liver while operating on the stomach.”
Organs often overlap inside the body. For bariatric surgery, surgeons must gently move the liver out of the way to reach the stomach. That's where the Nathanson retractor comes in.
“The Nathanson retractor (moves) the left lobe of the liver,” said Lisa Robinson, one of the Hospital's OR team leads. “That gives surgeons an unobstructed view of the gastro-esophageal junction and the upper stomach, which is critical for bariatric surgery.”
Medical instruments including the Nathanson retractor need to be sterilized after each surgery – a process that takes hours. That means the number of patients who can be treated per day is limited by the number of retractors available. The additional Nathanson retractor you helped purchase increases capacity.
The Regional Bariatric Care Centre also offers a non-surgical Medical Program, a supervised program that helps patients treat obesity through a personalized mix of education, medications, and meal replacement. The goal is to help patients make lifestyle changes to support improvements in their health and their quality of life.
Kelly Keeler, Manager of the Regional Bariatric Care Centre said that there are two pathways to the program: referral from their primary care provider (family doctor, etc.) or by registering for an orientation session by clicking the “Register Now” link on the program's web page.
“We recognize there can be significant stigma towards patients with obesity, which adds to the complexity of managing this chronic disease,” Keeler said. “The option for patients to express interest in attending the program is intended to help minimize barriers to obtaining a referral.”
Keeler said that the Centre contacts patients within a month after referral for an orientation session. The care team at the Regional Bariatric Care Centre includes nurses, a nurse practitioner, dietitians, surgeons, social workers, kinesiologists, a psychologist, and other healthcare professionals to offer a comprehensive set of services for patients across Northwestern Ontario.
More information including eligibility and the link for orientation registration is available on the Hospital website.
Supporting the purchase of the new Nathanson retractor is just one of the ways you help improve care for thousands of patients at the Hospital. Your support makes a difference, every single day!
Article by Graham Strong