ACS NSQIP data: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is at least as safe as gastric bypass

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is associated with lower rates of morbidity and similar mortality when compared with laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, according to an analysis of 2010-2011 data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.

Of 24,117 patients included in the analysis, 79.5% underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LGB), and 20.5% had laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Of note, the proportion of LSG cases increased from 14.6% in 2010 to 24.8% in 2011, Dr. Monica T. Young of the University of California Irvine Medical Center, Orange, Calif., and her colleagues reported.

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Those who underwent LGB had a significantly higher rate of 30-day risk-adjusted morbidity (odds ratio, 1.32). The 30-day mortality rate was 0.15% with bypass and 0.10% for sleeve gastrectomy, the investigators said (J. Am. Coll. Surg. 2015 [doi:
10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2015.01.059]).

Further, sleeve gastrectomy was associated with shorter operative time (101 vs. 133 minutes) and with lower rates of blood loss requiring transfusion (0.65% vs. 1.5%), deep wound infections (0.06% vs. 0.20%), sepsis (0.34% vs. 0.58%), overall serious morbidity (3.8% vs. 5.8%), and reoperations within 30 days (1.6% vs. 2.5%).

The rate of deep venous thrombosis, however, was significantly higher with sleeve gastrectomy (0.47% vs. 0.21%). Deep vein thrombosis was the only complication found to be higher after LSG, they noted.

Older patients, those with a higher body mass index, and those who smoked or had hypertension were at significantly greater risk of serious morbidity.

Given the increasing popularity and use of sleeve gastrectomy as seen both in this study and nationally – with a reported increase in utilization from 0.9% in 2008 to 36.3% in 2012, it is important to compare outcomes with LSG with those for the preferred Roux-en-Y bypass surgery, the investigators said, noting that few large-scale studies have compared outcomes with the two procedures.

“Over the past decade, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has emerged as a common utilized bariatric procedure. LSG has several advantages over LGB including preservation of endoscopic access to the upper gastrointestinal tract, avoidance of intestinal anastomosis, and prevention of dumping syndrome by pylorus preservation,” they wrote, adding that studies increasingly demonstrate its efficacy for weight loss.

The current findings support those of other recent studies, and a comparison of the data with those from 2007 to 2010 from the ACS NSQIP database showed that while reoperation rates after gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy have declined dramatically over time, readmission rates remain elevated.

“Therefore, it appears that further quality improvement initiatives are necessary to reduce the rate of readmissions after bariatric surgery,” the investigators wrote, noting that a national collaborative to reduce 30-day readmissions by 20% (the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, or MBSAQIP) is currently enrolling.

Additional randomized controlled trials are also needed to evaluate differences in long-term outcomes between the two procedures, they concluded.

The authors reported having no relevant financial disclosures.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is associated with lower rates of morbidity and similar mortality when compared with laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, according to an analysis of 2010-2011 data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.

Of 24,117 patients included in the analysis, 79.5% underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LGB), and 20.5% had laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Of note, the proportion of LSG cases increased from 14.6% in 2010 to 24.8% in 2011, Dr. Monica T. Young of the University of California Irvine Medical Center, Orange, Calif., and her colleagues reported.

©Thinkstock.com

Those who underwent LGB had a significantly higher rate of 30-day risk-adjusted morbidity (odds ratio, 1.32). The 30-day mortality rate was 0.15% with bypass and 0.10% for sleeve gastrectomy, the investigators said (J. Am. Coll. Surg. 2015 [doi:
10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2015.01.059]).

Further, sleeve gastrectomy was associated with shorter operative time (101 vs. 133 minutes) and with lower rates of blood loss requiring transfusion (0.65% vs. 1.5%), deep wound infections (0.06% vs. 0.20%), sepsis (0.34% vs. 0.58%), overall serious morbidity (3.8% vs. 5.8%), and reoperations within 30 days (1.6% vs. 2.5%).

The rate of deep venous thrombosis, however, was significantly higher with sleeve gastrectomy (0.47% vs. 0.21%). Deep vein thrombosis was the only complication found to be higher after LSG, they noted.

Older patients, those with a higher body mass index, and those who smoked or had hypertension were at significantly greater risk of serious morbidity.

Given the increasing popularity and use of sleeve gastrectomy as seen both in this study and nationally – with a reported increase in utilization from 0.9% in 2008 to 36.3% in 2012, it is important to compare outcomes with LSG with those for the preferred Roux-en-Y bypass surgery, the investigators said, noting that few large-scale studies have compared outcomes with the two procedures.

“Over the past decade, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has emerged as a common utilized bariatric procedure. LSG has several advantages over LGB including preservation of endoscopic access to the upper gastrointestinal tract, avoidance of intestinal anastomosis, and prevention of dumping syndrome by pylorus preservation,” they wrote, adding that studies increasingly demonstrate its efficacy for weight loss.

The current findings support those of other recent studies, and a comparison of the data with those from 2007 to 2010 from the ACS NSQIP database showed that while reoperation rates after gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy have declined dramatically over time, readmission rates remain elevated.

“Therefore, it appears that further quality improvement initiatives are necessary to reduce the rate of readmissions after bariatric surgery,” the investigators wrote, noting that a national collaborative to reduce 30-day readmissions by 20% (the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, or MBSAQIP) is currently enrolling.

Additional randomized controlled trials are also needed to evaluate differences in long-term outcomes between the two procedures, they concluded.

The authors reported having no relevant financial disclosures.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is associated with lower rates of morbidity and similar mortality when compared with laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, according to an analysis of 2010-2011 data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.

Of 24,117 patients included in the analysis, 79.5% underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LGB), and 20.5% had laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Of note, the proportion of LSG cases increased from 14.6% in 2010 to 24.8% in 2011, Dr. Monica T. Young of the University of California Irvine Medical Center, Orange, Calif., and her colleagues reported.

©Thinkstock.com

Those who underwent LGB had a significantly higher rate of 30-day risk-adjusted morbidity (odds ratio, 1.32). The 30-day mortality rate was 0.15% with bypass and 0.10% for sleeve gastrectomy, the investigators said (J. Am. Coll. Surg. 2015 [doi:
10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2015.01.059]).

Further, sleeve gastrectomy was associated with shorter operative time (101 vs. 133 minutes) and with lower rates of blood loss requiring transfusion (0.65% vs. 1.5%), deep wound infections (0.06% vs. 0.20%), sepsis (0.34% vs. 0.58%), overall serious morbidity (3.8% vs. 5.8%), and reoperations within 30 days (1.6% vs. 2.5%).

The rate of deep venous thrombosis, however, was significantly higher with sleeve gastrectomy (0.47% vs. 0.21%). Deep vein thrombosis was the only complication found to be higher after LSG, they noted.

Older patients, those with a higher body mass index, and those who smoked or had hypertension were at significantly greater risk of serious morbidity.

Given the increasing popularity and use of sleeve gastrectomy as seen both in this study and nationally – with a reported increase in utilization from 0.9% in 2008 to 36.3% in 2012, it is important to compare outcomes with LSG with those for the preferred Roux-en-Y bypass surgery, the investigators said, noting that few large-scale studies have compared outcomes with the two procedures.

“Over the past decade, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has emerged as a common utilized bariatric procedure. LSG has several advantages over LGB including preservation of endoscopic access to the upper gastrointestinal tract, avoidance of intestinal anastomosis, and prevention of dumping syndrome by pylorus preservation,” they wrote, adding that studies increasingly demonstrate its efficacy for weight loss.

The current findings support those of other recent studies, and a comparison of the data with those from 2007 to 2010 from the ACS NSQIP database showed that while reoperation rates after gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy have declined dramatically over time, readmission rates remain elevated.

“Therefore, it appears that further quality improvement initiatives are necessary to reduce the rate of readmissions after bariatric surgery,” the investigators wrote, noting that a national collaborative to reduce 30-day readmissions by 20% (the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, or MBSAQIP) is currently enrolling.

Additional randomized controlled trials are also needed to evaluate differences in long-term outcomes between the two procedures, they concluded.

The authors reported having no relevant financial disclosures.