Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy recently welcomed three
new laparoscopic surgeons, and they all share the same last
name.
GILROY
Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy recently welcomed three new laparoscopic surgeons, and they all share the same last name. Brothers Huy, Nang and Richard Nguyen offer procedures to patients that only 5 percent of surgeons in the United States are capable of performing.
Although many would label them “overachievers,” these siblings don’t think twice about their lofty careers.
The Nguyen brothers all specialize in laparoscopic surgery and are the only three surgeons performing this type of surgery in Gilroy. They use miniaturized surgical instruments, fiber optic technology and video monitoring equipment to enter the body through small incisions and perform surgical procedures. These “minimally invasive” surgeries require shorter hospital stays, less recovery time and far more skill than traditional “open” surgeries.
A disadvantage of this cutting edge technique is that there’s a learning curve – the more practice surgeons have, the better they get. Laparoscopic surgeons need years of practice in order to operate. Huy Nguyen has been operating for 12 years and his brother, Nang Nguyen, for three.
“It’s like playing a video game,” Huy Nguyen said of performing surgery with the aid of video monitoring equipment. Laparoscopic surgeons must have precise hand-eye coordination because they have to use the laparoscope as their “eyes” inside the body.
Despite their prolific careers, the brothers characterize their childhood growing up in Orange County, as “normal,” their parents as “typical,” and their family as “close.”
“(My childhood) was always normal to me. I was a kid growing up doing what I wanted to do,” said Richard Nguyen, the youngest of the three surgeons at 32-years-old. The newest addition to his brothers’ practice, Advanced Surgical Associates, Richard Nguyen just completed a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. He moved back to the West Coast in July and enjoys working with his two brothers.
Since Richard Nguyen was running late from his commute to Gilroy from the Regional Medical Center of San Jose, where he and his siblings also have offices, his brothers did most of the talking about their practice and background, playfully chiding their absent brother for his tardiness.
“He’s probably stopped by for ice cream,” joked Huy Nguyen.
The brothers are happy to be working together especially now that Richard has joined the team. The family has always been close, Huy Nguyen said. Originally from Saigon, Vietnam, the Nguyen family fled the communist takeover in 1975. Refugees in America, they were on welfare until the surgeons’ father “sped through the American educational system,” Huy Nguyen said. The sons took their father’s lead and followed suit.
The Nguyens’ patients reap the rewards of the surgeons’ talents. Patient Laura Conrad credits her life and health to Nang Nguyen. “I died on that table,” Conrad said. “Dr. Nang brought me back.” Nang Nguyen said Conrad exaggerates his capabilities but after performing two severe abdominal surgeries, he sent her back to work in less than three weeks.
Former Saint Louise Chief Executive Officer Ted Fox invited the Nguyen brothers to offer their services in Gilroy and the relationship between the surgeons and the hospital has been mutually beneficial.
“These top quality surgeons are an asset to the hospital and community,” said Vivian Smith, vice president of community and public relations at Saint Louise. “Each one of them brings their own expertise and personality to the operating room.Patients have access to the most modern technology and physicians that are experts in procedures that are most often done at larger, teaching institutions.”
“The hospital is very clean and modern and has the most updated equipment,” Huy Nguyen said. “It has an excellent medical staff.” He is certain that patients of Saint Louise receive the quality care equal to that of larger hospitals.
“We are happy to bring what we do up in San Jose down to Gilroy,” he said.
