Predictors of hospital stay following laparoscopic gastric bypass: Analysis of 9,593 patients from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program

Background Bariatric centers face pressure to reduce hospitalization to contain costs, and some centers have sought to develop "fast-track" protocols. There is limited data to identify which patients require a longer hospital stay after gastric bypass, and therefore would be inappropriate for fast tracking. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) whether most patients in the United States who underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass required>1 day of hospitalization to recover; (2) whether hospital length of stay can be predicted by factors known before or after the operation. Methods We reviewed all laparoscopic gastric bypass operations reported to the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program in 2011. Revision and open procedures were excluded. Patient and procedural characteristics, length of stay, readmissions, and 30-day morbidity and mortality were reviewed. Predictors of longer hospitalization (defined as≥3 days) were identified by multivariate analysis. Results Of 9,593 laparoscopic gastric bypass operations, median length of stay was 2 days (range 0-544) and 26% of patients required≥3 days of hospitalization. In multivariate analysis, longer hospitalization was predicted by diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bleeding diathesis, renal insufficiency, hypoalbuminemia, prolonged operating time, and resident involvement with the procedure, but not by patient age, sex, body mass index, and other co-morbidities. Conclusion Patient characteristics and operative details predict length of hospitalization after laparoscopic gastric bypass. Such data can be used to identify patients inappropriate for fast-track protocols.