Prior studies have established a 1.7–4.33% readmission rate for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), a rate that falls within the reported range for other bariatric procedures. The current report describes the incidence of 30-day readmission after primary LSG procedures performed at a single bariatric center of excellence (COE) and examines factors that may be associated with readmission.
Data on 343 consecutive LSG operations performed from February 2010 to May 2014 by a single surgeon (PG) were analyzed. Patients readmitted within 30 d were compared to the remaining patients by using Student's t test for continuous variables and the χ 2 test for categorical variables.
All LSGs were completed laparoscopically with no conversions to open procedures. There were no reoperations, leaks, perioperative hemorrhages, or mortalities. Twelve patients (3.5%) were readmitted; 1 was readmitted twice. There were no identified risk factors for readmission, including patient demographics, comorbidities, and perioperative factors. Notably, 7 (7%) readmissions occurred in the initial 100 patients and 5 (2%) in the remaining 243 patients ( P = .04). Clinical pathways were modified after the initial 100 patients; routine contrast esophagograms were no longer performed, and a 1-day routine postoperative stay was adopted. Operative time also decreased from 94.2 ± 23.8 to 78.2 ± 20.0 min ( P < .001).