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Obesity Surgery

, Volume 19, Issue 2, pp 158–165 | Cite as

Establishing Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: Perioperative Outcome and Characteristics of the Learning Curve

  • Torgeir T. SøvikEmail author
  • Erlend T. Aasheim
  • Jon Kristinsson
  • Carl Fredrik Schou
  • Lien My Diep
  • Arild Nesbakken
  • Tom Mala
Research Article
First Online:

Abstract

Background

Bariatric surgery was established at several Norwegian hospitals in 2004. This study evaluates the perioperative outcome and the learning curves for two surgeons while introducing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB).

Methods

Morbidly obese patients undergoing primary LRYGB were included. Lengths of surgery and postoperative hospital stay, and 30-day rates of morbidity, reoperations, and readmissions were set as indicators of the learning curve. Learning effects were evaluated by graphical analyses and comparing the first and last 40 procedures for both surgeons.

Results

The 292 included patients had a mean age of 40.0 ± 9.5 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 46.7 ± 5.3 kg/m2. The mean length of surgery was 101 ± 55 min. Complications occurred in 43 patients (14.7%), with no conversions to open surgery in the primary procedure and no mortality. Reoperations were performed in 14 patients (4.8%), of which five patients required open surgery. The median length of stay was 3 days (range 1–77), and 19 patients (6.5%) were readmitted. High patient age, but not high BMI, was associated with an increased risk of complication. For both surgeons, lengths of surgery and hospital stay were significantly reduced (p < 0.001), leveling out after 100 procedures. Reductions in the rates of morbidity, reoperations and readmissions were not found.

Conclusion

LRYGB was introduced with an acceptable morbidity rate and no mortality. Only the length of surgery and postoperative hospital stay were suitable indicators of a learning curve, which comprised about 100 cases.

Keywords

Bariatric surgery Morbidity Learning Intraoperative complications 
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Notes

Acknowledgement

TTS, JK, CFS, AN and TM have received travel grants from Johnson & Johnson and Covidien. ETA has received lecture fees from Johnson & Johnson, but all honoraria were donated directly to charity. Multidisciplinary team training courses in bariatric surgery have been arranged at Aker University Hospital with financial support from Johnson & Johnson.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2008

Authors and Affiliations

  • Torgeir T. Søvik
    • 1
    Email author
  • Erlend T. Aasheim
    • 1
    • 2
  • Jon Kristinsson
    • 3
  • Carl Fredrik Schou
    • 3
  • Lien My Diep
    • 4
  • Arild Nesbakken
    • 1
  • Tom Mala
    • 3
  1. 1.Faculty of MedicineUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
  2. 2.Department of MedicineAker University HospitalOsloNorway
  3. 3.Department of Gastrointestinal SurgeryAker University HospitalOsloNorway
  4. 4.Aker University Hospital Research CenterOsloNorway

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