• Robert T Lancaster and Matthew M Hutter.
• Department of Surgery, The Codman Center for Clinical Effectiveness in Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, 15 Parkman Street-Wang ACC 335, Boston, MA 02114, USA. rtlancaster@partners.org
• Surg Endosc. 2008 Dec 1;22(12):2554-63.

BackgroundPrevious multi-institution comparisons of open and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (ORYGB and LRYGB), and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) have been limited by the lack of unique current procedural terminology (CPT) codes. Specific codes have been available for LRYGB and LAGB since 2005 and 2006, respectively. We compare the short-term safety of these procedures, using risk-adjusted clinical data from a multi-institutional quality improvement program.MethodsThe America College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) Participant Use File (PUF) was used to compare patients undergoing LRYGB with those undergoing ORYGB or LAGB.ResultsORYGB versus LRYGB: The 2-year study period (2005-2006) included 5,777 patients (ORYGB = 1,146, LRYGB = 4,631). Patients undergoing ORYGB experienced a higher 30-day incidence of mortality (0.79% vs. 0.17%; p = 0.002), major complications rate (7.42% vs. 3.37%; p < 0.0001), any complication rate (13.18% vs. 6.69%; p < 0.0001), return visits to the OR (4.97% vs. 3.56%; p = 0.032), and longer postoperative length of stay (LOS) (median 3 vs. 2 days; p < 0.0001). After risk adjustment, ORYGB continued to demonstrate higher odds of major complication (OR = 2.04; [1.54, 2.69]). LAGB versus LRYGB: Analysis of 1 year of data from 2006 included 4,756 patients (LRYGB = 3,580, LAGB = 1,176). Those treated with LAGB experienced an equivalent 30-day mortality (0.09% vs. 0.14%; p = 1.0), and a lower rate of major complications (1.0% vs. 3.3%; p < 0.0001), any complication (2.6% vs. 6.7%; p < 0.0001), return visits to the OR (0.94% vs. 3.6%; p < 0.0001), and shorter postoperative LOS (median 1 vs. 2 days; p < 0.0001). Risk adjustment showed that LAGB was associated with a lower major complication odds (OR = 0.29; [0.16, 0.53]).ConclusionsCompared with LRYGB, ORYGB is associated with higher 30-day mortality and higher risk-adjusted major complication rate. While ORYGB may sometimes be indicated, a laparoscopic approach may be safer for RYGB when feasible. LAGB, compared with LRYGB, has a similarly low mortality rate and a small but statistically significant decrease in risk-adjusted 30-day complications. Clinical efficacy and long-term outcomes will need to be evaluated to determine superiority between these procedures.

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