The number of bariatric surgeries performed every year continues to rise, as more and more Americans decide they are willing to undergo drastic measures to control obesity and improve health. Based on the popularity of bariatric surgery, it is apparent that many individuals are willing to accept the potential risks in order to gain the anticipated benefits.
When individuals make the decision to undergo bariatric surgery, the focus is often on the safest or most effective type of procedure. A new study, however, highlights the fact that no matter which bariatric surgery is performed, the rate of complications and length of hospital stays can be reduced depending on where the surgery is performed.
As prospective patients look into their weight loss surgery options, they would do well to consider the findings of HealthGrades, an independent healthcare ratings organization, in the recently released The Fifth Annual HealthGrades Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals Study, concerning the overall safety of bariatric surgery in various hospitals across the United States.
The HealthGrades study evaluated the hospital bariatric surgery programs at each of the 684 hospitals that perform surgery in the 19 states that collect patient-outcomes data. Out of the 684, only 481 hospitals met the volume criteria to receive a star rating. A 5-star rating is awarded to hospitals that have complication rates that are lower than expected; a 3-star rating is given to hospitals that performed as expected; a 1-star rating is given to hospitals that have complications rates that are higher than expected.
For bariatric surgery, a 5-star rating was awarded to 92 hospitals (the best performers), a 3-star rating was awarded to 284 hospitals (performed as expected), and a 1-star rating was awarded to 105 hospitals (poor performers) in the HealthGrades study.
According to the study findings:
- Patients who had bariatric surgery at one of the 5-star rated hospitals experienced, on average, 43% fewer complications than patients at 3-star rated hospitals and 67% fewer complications than patients at 1-star rated hospitals.
- Patients who had bariatric surgery at one of the 5-star rated hospitals spent, on average, less time in the hospital (2.00 days) than patients at 3-star rated hospitals (2.21 days) and patients at 1-star rated hospitals (2.48 days).
- The most frequently occurring complication was hemorrhage.
- Hospitals that performed the greatest amount of surgeries had the lowest rates of complication (5-star rated hospitals performed an average of 646 surgeries per year, while 1-star rated hospitals averaged 384 cases per year).
- If all bariatric programs that were studied operated at the level of the 5-star rated hospitals, 5,046 patients could have avoided a major in-hospital complication.
- Bariatric Centers of Excellence (COE) programs were more likely to receive a 5-star rating than non-COE bariatric programs.
Bariatric surgery is the most effective long-term solution for morbid obesity, but it is not without associated risks. As the HealthGrade study shows, however, surgical outcomes can vary widely depending on where the surgery is performed. This study should be of help to prospective patients who are considering bariatric surgery and trying to find an appropriate bariatric surgery program.
