One-year Readmission Rates at a High Volume Bariatric Surgery Center: Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding, Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass, and Vertical Banded Gastroplasty-Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

• Published in: Obesity surgery Vol. 18; no. 10; pp. 1233 - 1240
• Main Authors: Saunders, John, Ballantyne, Garth H., Belsley, Scott, Stephens, Daniel J., Trivedi, Amit, Ewing, Douglas R., Iannace, Vincent A., Capella, Rafael F., Wasileweski, Annette, Moran, Steven, Schmidt, Hans J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer-Verlag 01.10.2008; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Cohort Studies; Female; Gastric Bypass; Gastrointestinal surgery; Gastroplasty; Humans; Laparoscopy; Length of Stay; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Obesity; Patient Readmission - statistics & numerical data; Postoperative Complications; Research Article; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Surgery; Surgical outcomes; Surgical techniques; Surgicenters; Young Adult; Surgical outcomes; Vertical banded gastroplasty-gastric bypass; Bariatric surgery; Gastric bypass; Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding; Laparoscopic gastric bypass; Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass; Weight loss surgery; Hospital readmissions
• ISSN: 0960-8923; 1708-0428
• DOI: 10.1007/s11695-008-9517-8

Background An increasing importance has been placed on a bariatric program’s readmission rates. Despite the importance of such data, there have been few studies that document 1-year readmission rates. There have been even fewer studies that delineate the causes of readmission. The objective of this study is to delineate the rates and causes of readmissions within 1 year of bariatric operations performed in a high-volume center. Methods Records for all patients undergoing bariatric operations during a 31-month period were harvested from the hospital electronic medical database. Readmissions for these patients were then identified within the hospital database for the year following the index operation. The electronic medical records of all readmitted patients were reviewed. Results The overall 1-year readmission rate for 1,939 consecutive bariatric operations was 18.8%. The laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) had the lowest readmission rate of 12.69%. Next was the vertical banded gastroplasty-Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (VBG-RYGB) with a rate of 15.4%. The laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) had the highest readmission rate of 24.2%. Leading causes of readmission were abdominal pain with normal radiographic studies and elective operations. Independent factors predicting readmission were found to be LOS > 3 days (odds ratio 1.69 p  = 0.004) and having a LRYGB (odds ratio of 1.49 p  = 0.003). The previously reported reoperation rate for bowel obstruction of 9.7% had decreased to 3.7% due to changes in operative technique. Conclusion Rates of readmissions for patients undergoing bariatric surgery center at our high-volume center decreased over time and are comparable to other major abdominal operations.