Surgery for obesity and related diseases : official journal of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery
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Surg Obes Relat Dis · Mar 2013
Risk factors for acute respiratory failure in bariatric surgery: data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 2006-2008.
Acute respiratory failure (ARF) can be a life-threatening postoperative complication after bariatric surgery and is defined as the presence of acute respiratory distress or pulmonary insufficiency. We sought to identify predictors of ARF in patients who underwent bariatric surgery. ⋯ We identified multiple risk factors that have an effect on the development of acute respiratory failure after bariatric surgery. Surgeons should consider these factors in surgical decision-making and inform patients of their risk of this potentially life-threatening complication.
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Surg Obes Relat Dis · Mar 2013
Importance of hospital versus surgeon volume in predicting outcomes for gastric bypass procedures.
A relationship between surgical volume and improved surgical outcomes has been described in gastric bypass patients but the relative importance of surgeon versus hospital volume is unknown. Our objective was to examine whether in-hospital and 30-day mortality are determined more by surgeon volume or hospital volume or whether each has an independent effect. A retrospective cohort study was performed of all hospitals in Pennsylvania providing gastric bypass surgery from 1999 to 2003. ⋯ In Pennsylvania, both higher surgeon and hospital volume were associated with better outcomes for bariatric surgical procedures. Although a high-surgeon volume correlated with lowered mortality, we also found that high-volume hospitals demonstrated improved outcomes, highlighting the importance of factors other than surgical expertise in determining the outcomes.