title: Relationship between surgeon volume and adverse outcomes after RYGB in Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS) study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bariatric surgery is technically demanding surgery performed on high-risk patients. Previous studies using administrative databases have shown a relationship between surgeon volume and patient outcome after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). We examined the relationship between surgeons' annual RYGB volumes and 30-day patient outcomes at 10 centers within the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS)-1 is a prospective study examining the 30-day adverse outcomes after bariatric surgery. The outcomes after RYGB were adjusted by procedure type (open versus laparoscopic), functional status, body mass index, history of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and obstructive sleep apnea. The data were examined to determine the nature and strength of the association between surgeon volume and patients' short-term (30-day) adverse outcomes after RYGB.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis included 3410 initial RYGB operations performed by 31 surgeons, 15 of whom averaged <50 cases annually. The crude composite adverse outcome (i.e., death, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, reintervention or nondischarge at day 30) incidence was 5.2%. After risk adjustment, a greater surgeon RYGB volume was associated with lower composite event rates, with a continuous relationship (i.e., varying cutpoints differentiated the composite event rates), such that for each 10-case/yr increase in volume, the risk of a composite event decreased by 10%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the LABS, the patient's risk of an adverse outcome after RYGB decreased significantly with the increase in surgeon RYGB volume (cases performed annually).
authors.affiliation: Oregon Weight Loss Surgery, Portland, OR 97210, USA. mdsmith2@mac.com
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: Abdus S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Wahed
authors.forename: Steven H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Belle
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bessler
authors.forename: Anita P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Courcoulas
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Flum
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Halpin
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Alfons
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pomp
authors.forename: Walter J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Pories
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wolfe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015390:Gastric Bypass / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013502:General Surgery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000601:surgery*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome