Factors Influencing 30-Day Emergency Visits and Readmissions after Sleeve Gastrectomy: Results from a Community Bariatric Center

Bariatric surgery has proven safe and effective for long-term weight loss in morbidly obese patients. Readmissions within 30 days of discharge have become an important metric for quality of care. Sleeve gastrectomy is a common bariatric procedure, but data regarding early readmission is sparse. The purpose of this study is to determine what, if any, demographic or technical factors influence returns to the hospital or readmission following sleeve gastrectomy. All laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomies (n = 200) performed at a single community hospital from February 2009 to November 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic, technical, length of stay, return to Emergency Department (ED) and readmission data were gathered for each patient. The data were analyzed to determine what factors were related to early return to the Emergency Department or readmission. Demographics were similar to other studies, with a male to female ratio of 1:4. Patients returning to the ED or readmitted within 30 days were statistically younger than those not returning. None of the other demographic, social, technical, or comorbid conditions considered were associated with a statistically significant risk of readmission or return to the ED within 30 days. Although the only statistically significant difference among the groups studied was age, trends toward significance exist in minority ethnicity and comorbid asthma. These factors have been associated with increased complications in other types of surgery. Larger, multi-institutional studies are needed to further evaluate these and other risk factors for readmission following bariatric surgery.