Abstract
Introduction
Surgery is currently an effective long-term therapy for morbid obesity and its complications. A variety of surgical procedures can now offer durable and safe weight control as well as previously unrealized full remission of costly comorbidities. This is a preliminary investigation of patient characteristics and outcomes at Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence® (BSCOE®) hospitals.
Methods and procedures
Data were analyzed from 235 American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) BSCOE® hospitals receiving Full Approval status from August 2005 to May 2007. Metrics for the 66,339 bariatric surgeries performed at these hospitals included type, volume and distribution of various bariatric surgical procedures performed at each hospital, patient demographics, payer information, and adverse outcomes.
Results
Data from these analyses demonstrate significant differences in terms of surgical procedure selection (laparoscopic gastric bypass 61%), patient demographics (females 83%, White 60%, mean age 43 years) and type of payer (private insurance 78%), and adverse outcomes (readmission 5%, re-operation 2%, mortality 0.36%).
Conclusions
The collective performance of ASMBS BSCOE hospitals in bariatric outcomes of readmissions, re-operations, and mortality are equivalent to, or more favorable, than currently reported outcomes. However, risk assessment and risk adjustment of the patients and each of the bariatric procedures will be necessary to appropriately evaluate these rates.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all ASMBS BSCOE hospitals and surgeons that contributed to the data described here. The authors would also like to gratefully acknowledge SRC’s Research Advisory Committee, Drs. Harvey Sugerman, Bruce Wolfe, and Eric DeMaria for their helpful discussions, guidance, and review, as well as the ASMBS leadership and membership. Finally, we are especially grateful to Dr. Ruth Little of Epidemiology Services for her insightful comments and editing of this manuscript. This study was sponsored by Surgical Review Corporation.
Conflicts of Interest
Mr. Pratt is the Chief Executive Officer of Surgical Review Corporation. Mr. Warthen is an employee of Surgical Review Corporation. Drs. Hughes and Learn were employees of Surgical Review Corporation at the time of this research. Dr. Pories is Chairman Emeritus of Surgical Review Corporation. Dr. Clark is a statistical consultant for SRC.
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Pratt, G.M., Learn, C.A., Hughes, G.D. et al. Demographics and outcomes at American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence. Surg Endosc 23, 795–799 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-008-0077-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-008-0077-8