Hospital variation in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy complications

Editor's Note

In this study of Michigan hospitals, overall complications in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy patients varied widely, and serious complications were infrequent.

The analysis included 8,693 patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy from 2013 to 2014 in 40 hospitals in the Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative.

Overall, 5.4% experienced complications, and rates of complications varied three-fold across hospitals, ranging form 3.6% to 11%. Serious complications occurred in just 1.2% and varied minimally.

Hospital volume was not associated with overall or serious complications.