The Bariatric Examiner

June, 2010

In this issue...
(click the following links to jump down the page to each section, or use the scrollbar on the right to review all news and research updates)

1. Bariatric surgery procedure updates
   • Revisional Bariatric Surgery: Is It Worth It? Comparison of Revisional and Primary Surgery
   • Hospitals with Worse Outcomes: Quality and Cost Vary Widely at U.S. Hospital

Bariatric Surgery Procedure Updates

Outcomes of Revisional Bariatric Surgery Compared to Primary Bariatric Surgery

We all hope that our post-surgery life will progress as planned, but unfortunately some of us will need another operation for repairs.

But how do the risks of and weight loss after revisional surgery compare to those of the initial (“primary”) surgery?

A recent Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center study evaluated 72 revisional surgery patients and found that:

• Average weight loss was about 51 pounds (23 kg) after revisional surgery and about 90 pounds (41 kg) after primary surgery
• Compared with 53% for primary patients, 61% of revisional patients had greater than or equal to 50% excess body weight loss (versus the initial weight)
• No patients died after revisional surgery
• Leaks, surgical site infections and hospital length of stay were higher after revisional surgery
• Age (over 50 years) was the only indicator of less successful weight loss following revisional surgery
  

Click here to review the study’s complete abstract.

Also see: Gastric Bypass Revision Surgery

Quality and Cost Vary Widely at U.S. Hospitals: Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals Study

All care is not created equal, once again reinforced by Healthgrades’ 5th annual Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals Study. In addition to studying trends in bariatric surgery, the study evaluates patient outcomes in the 19 states that collect patient outcomes data.

After evaluating patient outcomes, the study placed the 481 qualifying hospitals performing weight loss surgery in those 19 states into one of three classes:

• 5-star rated – 92 hospitals (19.13%)
• 3-star rated – 284 hospitals (59.04%)
• 1-star rated – 105 hospitals (21.83%)

Five-star rated hospitals had:

• 43% fewer in-hospital complications than 3-star hospitals and 67% fewer than 1-star hospitals
• 68% more surgeries performed than 1-star hospitals
• 2 day shorter hospital stays than 3-star hospitals and 2.21 day shorter than 1-star hospitals

Other interesting findings included:

• Most of the procedures were performed in five states (CA, FL, NY, PA, TX)
• Bariatric patients stay in the hospital on average 2.2 days
  
• While different from state to state, bariatric patients are charged on average $38,254 for a laparoscopic procedure
  
• Hemorrhage was the most frequently occurring weight loss surgery complication
  
• Hospitals with the highest volume had the lowest complication rates
  
• Bariatric Centers of Excellence (COE) programs (25.6%) were more likely to receive a 5-star rating than non-COE programs (10.9%)
  
• 7% of patients paid for their own bariatric surgery without any weight loss surgery insurance
  

See the following page for more about the Healthgrades 5-star rating along with the other important considerations when selecting a weight loss surgeon:

• Bariatric Doctors / Bariatric Weight Loss Center : 4 Essential Steps to Finding the Surgeon That’s Right for You

For more details about this year’s Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals Study, see Healthgrades’ press release.

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