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In patients undergoing bariatric surgery, the presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) contributes to perioperative morbidity. We aimed to evaluate the utilization and outcome of severely obese patients with MetS who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) versus laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). Using the 2015 and 2016 Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program database, data were obtained for patients with MetS undergoing LSG or LRYGB. There were 29,588 MetS patients (LSG: 58.7% vs LRYGB: 41.3%). There was no significant difference in 30-day mortality (0.1% for LSG vs 0.2% for LRYGB, adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.58, confidence interval (CI) 0.32-1.05, P = 0.07) or length of stay between groups (2 ± 2 for LSG vs 2.2 ± 2 days for LRYGB, P = 0.40). Compared with LRYGB, LSG was associated with significantly shorter operative time (78 ± 39 vs 122 ± 54 minutes, P < 0.01), lower overall morbidity (2.3% vs 4.4%, AOR 0.53, CI 0.46-0.60, P < 0.01), lower serious morbidity (1.5% vs 2.3%, AOR 0.64, CI 0.53-0.76, P < 0.01), lower 30-day reoperation (1.2% vs 2.3%, AOR 0.52, CI 0.43-0.63, P < 0.01), and lower 30-day readmission (4.2% vs 6.6%, AOR 0.62, CI 0.55-0.69, P < 0.01). In conclusion, LSG is the predominant operation being performed for severely obese patients with MetS, and its popularity may in part be related to its improved perioperative safety profile.

Background: Past research suggests self-harm/suicidality are more common among adults who have undergone bariatric surgery than the general population., Objectives: To compare prevalence of self-harm/suicidal ideation over time and identify presurgery risk factors for postsurgery self-harm/suicidal ideation., Setting: The Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery-2 is a cohort study with presurgery and annual postsurgery assessments conducted at 10 U.S. hospitals., Methods: Adults with severe obesity undergoing bariatric surgery between March 2006 and April 2009 (n = 2458). Five-year follow-up is reported. Self-reported history of suicidality assessed retrospectively via the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R) and self-reported self-harm/suicidal ideation assessed prospectively via the Beck Depression Inventory-Version 1 (BDI-1)., Results: The SBQ-R was completed by 1540 participants; 2217 completed the BDI-1 pre- and postsurgery. Over 75% of participants were female, with a median age of 46 years and body mass index of 45.9 kg/m 2 . Approximately one fourth of participants (395/1534) reported a presurgery history of suicidal thoughts or behavior (SBQ-R). The prevalence of self-harm/suicidal ideation (BDI-1) was 5.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.7-6.8) presurgery and 3.8% (95% CI, 2.5-5.1) at year 1 postsurgery (P = .06). Prevalence increased over time postsurgery to 6.6% (95% CI, 4.6-8.6) at year 5 (P = .001) but was not significantly different than presurgery (P = .12)., Conclusions: A large cohort of adults with severe obesity who underwent bariatric surgery had a prevalence of self-harm/suicidal ideation that may have decreased in the first postoperative year but increased over time to presurgery levels, suggesting screening for self-harm/suicidality is warranted throughout long-term postoperative care. Several risk factors were identified that may help with enhanced monitoring., (Copyright © 2018 American Society for Bariatric Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Background: Limited evidence suggests bariatric surgery may not reduce opioid analgesic use, despite improvements in pain., Objective: To determine if use of prescribed opioid analgesics changes in the short and long term after bariatric surgery and to identify factors associated with continued and postsurgery initiated use., Setting: Ten U.S. hospitals., Methods: The Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery-2 is an observational cohort study. Assessments were conducted presurgery, 6 months postsurgery, and annually postsurgery for up to 7 years until January 2015. Opioid use was defined as self-reported daily, weekly, or "as needed" use of a prescribed medication classified as an opioid analgesic., Results: Of 2258 participants with baseline data, 2218 completed follow-up assessment(s) (78.7% were female, median body mass index: 46; 70.6% underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass). Prevalence of opioid use decreased after surgery from 14.7% (95% CI: 13.3-16.2) at baseline to 12.9% (95% CI: 11.5-14.4) at month 6 but then increased to 20.3%, above baseline levels, as time progressed (95% CI: 18.2-22.5) at year 7. Among participants without baseline opioid use (n = 1892), opioid use prevalence increased from 5.8% (95% CI: 4.7-6.9) at month 6 to 14.2% (95% CI: 12.2-16.3) at year 7. Public versus private health insurance, more pain presurgery, undergoing subsequent surgeries, worsening or less improvement in pain, and starting or continuing nonopioid analgesics postsurgery were significantly associated with higher risk of postsurgery initiated opioid use., Conclusion: After bariatric surgery, prevalence of prescribed opioid analgesic use initially decreased but then increased to surpass baseline prevalence, suggesting the need for alternative methods of pain management in this population., (Copyright © 2017 American Society for Bariatric Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Importance: The variability and durability of improvements in pain and physical function following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) are not well described., Objectives: To report changes in pain and physical function in the first 3 years following bariatric surgery, and to identify factors associated with improvement., Design, Setting, and Participants: The Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery-2 is an observational cohort study at 10 US hospitals. Adults with severe obesity undergoing bariatric surgery were recruited between February 2005 and February 2009. Research assessments were conducted prior to surgery and annually thereafter. Three-year follow-up through October 2012 is reported., Exposures: Bariatric surgery as clinical care., Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were clinically meaningful presurgery to postsurgery improvements in pain and function using scores from the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) (ie, improvement of ≥5 points on the norm-based score [range, 0-100]) and 400-meter walk time (ie, improvement of ≥24 seconds) using established thresholds. The secondary outcome was clinically meaningful improvement using the Western Ontario McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (ie, improvement of ≥9.7 pain points and ≥9.3 function points on the transformed score [range, 0-100])., Results: Of 2458 participants, 2221 completed baseline and follow-up assessments (1743 [78.5%] were women; median age was 47 years; median body mass index [BMI] was 45.9; 70.4% underwent RYGB; 25.0% underwent LAGB). At year 1, clinically meaningful improvements were shown in 57.6% (95% CI, 55.3%-59.9%) of participants for bodily pain, 76.5% (95% CI, 74.6%-78.5%) for physical function, and 59.5% (95% CI, 56.4%-62.7%) for walk time. Additionally, among participants with severe knee or disability (633), or hip pain or disability (500) at baseline, approximately three-fourths experienced joint-specific improvements in knee pain (77.1% [95% CI, 73.5%-80.7%]) and in hip function (79.2% [95% CI, 75.3%-83.1%]). Between year 1 and year 3, rates of improvement significantly decreased to 48.6% (95% CI, 46.0%-51.1%) for bodily pain and to 70.2% (95% CI, 67.8%-72.5%) for physical function, but improvement rates for walk time, knee and hip pain, and knee and hip function did not (P for all ≥.05). Younger age, male sex, higher income, lower BMI, and fewer depressive symptoms presurgery; no diabetes and no venous edema with ulcerations postsurgery (either no history or remission); and presurgery-to-postsurgery reductions in weight and depressive symptoms were associated with presurgery-to-postsurgery improvements in multiple outcomes at years 1, 2, and 3., Conclusions and Relevance: Among a cohort of participants with severe obesity undergoing bariatric surgery, a large percentage experienced improvement, compared with baseline, in pain, physical function, and walk time over 3 years, but the percentage with improvement in pain and physical function decreased between year 1 and year 3., Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00465829.

Background: Morbidly obese patients often have impaired respiratory mechanics leading to restrictive and obstructive lung diseases. Weight loss after bariatric surgery has been shown to improve or resolve many obesity-related comorbidities. However, few studies have examined long-term changes in pulmonary mechanics after bariatric surgery. We hypothesize that pulmonary function improves after surgically induced weight loss., Methods: We examined the pulmonary function of 104 morbidly obese patients who underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass or gastric banding. Pulmonary studies, including forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)), forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF), and forced expiratory volume at midexpiratory phase (FEV(25-75%)) were measured preoperatively and at 3-month intervals. All results are expressed as a percentage of the baseline values., Results: There were 80 females and 24 males with a mean age of 41 years. The mean body mass index was 48 kg/m(2). The mean percentage of excess body weight loss at 12 months was 54%. At 12 months postoperatively, restrictive pulmonary mechanics significantly improved as demonstrated by an increase in the FEV(1) to 112% of baseline value, increase in the FVC to 109% of baseline value, increase in the PEF to 115% of baseline value, and increase in the FEV(25-75%) to 130% of baseline value. Additionally, the percentage of patients with obstructive lung pattern (FEV(1)/FVC ratio less than 0.8) decreased from 9.6% preoperatively to 1.9% postoperatively (p=0.03)., Conclusions: Weight loss after laparoscopic gastric bypass significantly improves restrictive and obstructive respiratory mechanics. The improvements were observed as early as 3 months postoperatively.

Background: Hypertension is a well-recognized and treatable risk factor for coronary heart disease and is one of the most common comorbidities associated with obesity. The aim of this study was to characterize the clinical outcome of a cohort of patients with documented hypertension who underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass., Methods: Ninety-five obese patients with documented hypertension and being treated with antihypertensive medication(s) underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass. Main outcome measures included length of hypertensive condition, changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and changes in antihypertensive medication(s) at follow-up., Results: There were 69 (72%) females with a mean preoperative body mass index of 47 kg/m(2). The mean duration of hypertension was 73 +/- 70 months. The mean excess body weight loss at 12 months was 66%. The mean systolic blood pressure significantly decreased from 140 +/- 17 mmHg preoperatively to 120 +/- 18 mmHg at 12 months (p < 0.01). The mean diastolic blood pressure also significantly decreased from 80 +/- 11 mmHg preoperatively to 71 +/- 8 mmHg at 12 months (p < 0.01). At 12 months follow-up, 44 (46%) patients had complete resolution of hypertension while 18 (19%) patients had improvement. Patients with complete resolution had a shorter duration of disease as compared to patients without resolution (53 vs. 95 months, respectively, p = 0.01)., Conclusion: Weight loss associated with laparoscopic gastric bypass substantially improves and/or resolves hypertension in the majority of patients. Improvement of hypertension occurs as early as 1 month postoperatively and is more frequently in patients with a shorter preoperative duration of disease.

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is commonly associated with morbid obesity. Laparoscopic fundoplication is a standard surgical treatment for GERD, and laparoscopic gastric bypass has been shown to effectively resolve GERD symptoms in the morbidly obese. We sought to compare the in-hospital outcomes of morbidly obese patients who underwent laparoscopic fundoplication for the treatment of GERD versus laparoscopic gastric bypass for the treatment of morbid obesity and related conditions, including GERD, at U.S. academic medical centers., Methods: Using the "International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision" procedural and diagnoses codes for morbidly obese patients with GERD, we obtained data from the University HealthSystem Consortium database for all patients who underwent laparoscopic fundoplication or laparoscopic gastric bypass from October 2004 to December 2007 (n=27,264). The outcome measures included the patient demographics, length of stay, in-hospital overall complications, mortality, risk-adjusted mortality ratio (observed to expected mortality), and hospital costs., Results: Compared with the patients who underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass, those who underwent laparoscopic fundoplication had a lower severity of illness score (P<.05). The overall in-hospital complications were significantly lower in the laparoscopic gastric bypass group (P<.05). The mean length of stay, observed mortality, risk-adjusted mortality, and hospital costs were comparable between the 2 treatment groups., Conclusion: Laparoscopic gastric bypass is as safe as laparoscopic fundoplication for the treatment of GERD in the morbidly obese. Hence, morbidly obese patients with GERD should be referred for bariatric surgery evaluation and offered laparoscopic gastric bypass as a surgical option.

Background: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is gaining popularity in the United States. Our objective was to examine the use and outcomes of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding at academic medical centers., Methods: Using the "International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision" diagnosis and procedure codes, data were obtained from the University Health System Consortium Clinical Database for all laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and gastric bypass procedures performed from 2004 to 2007. Quartile trends in the use of all procedures were determined, and a comparison of in-hospital morbidity and mortality between laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and laparoscopic gastric bypass was performed., Results: A total of 31,333 bariatric surgery procedures were performed from 2004 to 2007. During this period, the use of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and gastric bypass procedures increased from 7% to 23% and 53% to 66%, respectively. A concurrent decrease occurred in the use of open gastric bypass procedures from 40% to 11%. Compared with laparoscopic gastric bypass, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding was associated with a significantly shorter length of stay (1.3 versus 2.7 d, P<.01), lower morbidity (2.8% versus 7.5%, P<.01), lower 30-day readmission rate (.7% versus 2.5%, P<.01), lower in-hospital mortality (.02% versus .08%, P<.01), and lower hospital cost ($8689 versus 14,386, P<.01)., Conclusion: From 2004 to 2007, significant growth occurred in the number of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (+329%) and laparoscopic gastric bypass (+125%) procedures, with a precipitous decrease in the number of open gastric bypass (-73%) procedures. The increasing popularity of the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band procedure could in part be related to the lower cost and lower morbidity compared with laparoscopic gastric bypass.

Background: The metabolic syndrome is associated with significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We assessed the in-hospital outcomes of bariatric surgery in morbidly obese patients with the metabolic syndrome in comparison to a control group without the metabolic syndrome., Methods: Using ICD-9-CM diagnosis and procedure codes, clinical data for 20,242 patients with and without the metabolic syndrome who underwent bariatric surgery over a 5-year period were obtained from the University HealthSystem Consortium database., Results: The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among bariatric surgery patients was 27.4%. Patients with the metabolic syndrome presented significantly higher overall morbidity as compared to morbidly obese patients without the metabolic syndrome (8.6% vs. 5.8%; p < 0.01), and similar mortality (0.04% vs. 0.01%; p = 0.2) after bariatric surgery. Hispanics with the metabolic syndrome had the highest morbidity rates, and men had the uppermost mortality. In-hospital bariatric surgery outcomes were significantly improved among patients who underwent laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding., Conclusions: The data suggest that the presence of the metabolic syndrome affects inter-ethnic and gender-specific short-term outcomes after bariatric surgery.

Background: The current study compared the outcome of morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic versus open appendectomy., Methods: We obtained data from the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) database on 1,943 morbidly obese patients who underwent appendectomy for acute or perforated appendicitis between 2002 and 2007., Results: Compared to open appendectomy, laparoscopic appendectomy was associated with a shorter length of stay (3 vs 4 days) and a lower overall complication rate (9% vs 17%). Most notably, a lower rate of wound infection was noted (1% vs 3%). Within a subset analysis of morbidly obese patients who underwent appendectomy for perforated appendicitis, there was a higher overall complication rate (27% vs 18%) and cost ($16,600 vs $12,300) in the open appendectomy group., Conclusion: In the morbidly obese, laparoscopic appendectomy performed for acute and perforated appendicitis is associated with a shorter length of stay and lower morbidity and costs. Laparoscopic appendectomy should be the procedure of choice for the treatment of acute appendicitis in the morbidly obese population.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea is a common condition in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical outcome of a cohort of morbidly obese patients with documented sleep apnea who underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGBP)., Methods: 56 morbidly obese patients with documented sleep apnea by polysomnography underwent LRYGBP. There were 36 females with mean age 46 years and mean BMI 49 kg/m2. The Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) scores and the number of patients requiring the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy were recorded preoperatively and at 3-month intervals., Results: The mean length of sleep apnea condition was 44 +/- 55 months. Preoperative polysomnography scores were classified as severe in 50% of patients, moderate in 30%, and mild in 20%. 29 of 56 (52%) patients required CPAP therapy preoperatively. The mean excess body weight loss was 73 +/- 3% at 12 months. The mean ESS score decreased from 13.7 preoperatively to 5.3 at 1 month postoperatively (P<0.05) and maintained below the threshold level (<7) for the entire 12 months of follow-up. Of the 29 patients requiring preoperative CPAP, only 4 (14%) patients required CPAP at 3 months postoperatively and none required CPAP at 9 months., Conclusions: Weight loss associated with LRYGBP significantly improves the symptoms of sleep apnea and is effective in discontinuation in the clinical use of CPAP therapy. Improvement of obstructive sleep apnea symptoms occur as early as 1 month postoperatively.

Background: To compare the perioperative outcomes of bariatric surgery between adolescent (12-18 years) and adult (>18 years) patients for the treatment of morbid obesity using an administrative database., Methods: Using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis and procedural codes, we obtained data from the University HealthSystem Consortium for 55,501 morbidly obese patients (309 adolescents and 55,192 adults) who had undergone laparoscopic or open gastric bypass, laparoscopic gastric banding, or laparoscopic gastroplasty from 2002 to 2006. The outcome measures included demographics, length of hospital stay, intensive care unit stay, 30-day readmission, morbidity, and observed and expected (risk-adjusted) mortality., Results: The overall 30-day complication rate was significantly lower in the adolescent group (5.5% adolescents and 9.8% adults). The in-hospital and observed/expected mortality ratios were similar between groups. The greatest morbidity was associated with open gastric bypass procedures (7.6% for adolescents and 11.1% for adults) followed by laparoscopic gastric bypass (4.3% and 7.5%, respectively). Open gastric bypass in adults had the greatest observed/expected mortality ratio (1.0). In adolescents, the 30-day morbidity and mortality rate was 0% for restrictive procedures (laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and gastroplasty)., Conclusion: Bariatric surgery in adolescents represents a small subset of all bariatric operations performed at academic centers, although the number has increased threefold since 2002. Gastric bypass is the most commonly performed bariatric procedure in adolescents. The outcomes of bariatric surgery in adolescents appear to be as safe as those in adults, with lower 30-day morbidity.