Obesity disease burden and surgical risk.
BACKGROUND
The rapid national expansion in bariatric surgical procedures has been accompanied by recent reports of significant complication rates. This has resulted in increased public scrutiny of bariatric surgery outcomes, restrictions on patient eligibility criteria by payors, and credentialing requirements for providers. This focus on outcomes has resulted in interest in bariatric risk analysis.


METHODS
During an 8-year period, 1210 patients were evaluated for bariatric surgery. Clinical information was recorded prospectively. Co-morbid medical conditions were analyzed according to proven surgical risk factors: age, body mass index (BMI), and male gender.


RESULTS
The prevalence of many co-morbid conditions and the total number of co-morbid conditions correlate highly with increasing age, increasing BMI, and male gender.


CONCLUSIONS
The established surgical risk factors, age, BMI, and male gender, are markers for a sicker patient population, as evidenced by a greater obesity disease burden.
Benotti
Peter
P
Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pennsylvania, USA. pnbenotti@geisinger.edu
Wood
G Craig
GC
Still
Christopher
C
Petrick
Anthony
A
Strodel
William
W
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050110:Bariatric Surgery / Q000009:adverse effects; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D018579:Patient Selection; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors