Bariatric peri-operative outcomes are affected by annual procedure-specific surgeon volume

There is limited data examining specific annual surgeon procedural volumes associated with improvement of postoperative outcomes following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG). Effect of surgeon volume on procedural outcomes. Using the SPARCS Administrative database, patients undergoing laparoscopic RYGB or SG between 2010–2014 were analyzed. Multivariable generalized linear mixed regression models were first used to analyze the influences of 3 yearly mean volumes (combined, RYGB and SG mean volumes) on each of three surgical outcomes: 30-day readmission, peri-operative complications, and extended length of stay (LOS), while accounting for patient specific variables. A total of 46,511 laparoscopic bariatric procedures were included in the study. Risk for any complication and 30-day readmissions following RYGB decreased with increasing RYGB volume up to a specific volume and stayed similar afterward (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96–0.98 while volume 138 cases/year)). Bariatric procedure peri-operative outcomes are affected by procedure-specific annual surgeons’ volume.