Faculty Bibliography

Introduction: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is a common and effective form of bariatric weight loss surgery. However, a subset of patients will fail to achieve the expected total body weight loss (TBWL) greater than 20% after 12 months or experience significant weight regain despite dietary, psychiatric, and behavioral counseling. Although alternative procedural interventions exist for operative revision after suboptimal RYGB weight loss, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) provides an option with short operative time, low morbidity, and effective results. We have previously demonstrated that short-term (12-month), and mid-term (24-month) weight loss is achievable with LAGB for failed RYGB. The objective of this study is to report the long term 5 year outcomes of LAGB after RYGB failure. Methods and Procedures: A retrospective review of prospectively collected data before and after RYGB when available, and before and after revision with LAGB was performed. The data included weight, height, body mass index, gender, race, age, operative time, length of stay, postoperative complications, and percentage of total body weight loss. Results: A total of 182 patients (81.3% female, 18.7% male) were included in this study. The mean age of patients undergoing LAGB after RYGB was 47+/-9.98 years old. The majority of patients (98.4%) underwent gastric band placement laparoscopically, with 2 patients requiring conversion to an open procedure, and 1 planned open approach. The mean preoperative weight was 319+/-64 lbs and BMI of 53+/-10 kg/m² before RYGB. After RYGB, patients experienced a mean %TBWL of 16+/-11%, had a weight of 264+/-50 lbs, and a BMI of 43+/-7 kg/m² before undergoing LAGB an average of 9 years after their first bariatric procedure. At the time of 5 year follow up after LAGB the patients had a %TBWL of 35+/-13%, weight of 201.9+/-46 lbs, and had a BMI of 33+/-7 kg/m². The mean operative time was 73+/-34 minutes and 85% of patients had a hospital length of stay less than 24 hours. Conclusion: The results of our study have shown that LABG had good long term data as a revi-sionary procedure for weight loss failure after RYGB. Patients experienced a satisfactory amount of total body weight loss with reduction in BMI and had a short operative time and length of stay

BACKGROUND: Portomesenteric vein thrombosis (PMVT) has been increasingly reported after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Factor VIII (FVIII) is a plasma sialoglycoprotein that plays an essential role in hemostasis. There is increasing evidence that FVIII elevation constitutes a clinically important risk factor for venous thrombosis. OBJECTIVES: To report the prevalence of FVIII elevation as well as other clinical characteristics in a multicenter series of patients who developed PMVT after LSG. SETTING: University hospitals. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of all patients that developed PMVT after laparoscopic bariatric surgery from 2006 to 2016 at 6 high-volume bariatric surgery centers. RESULTS: Forty patients who developed PMVT postoperatively, all after LSG, were identified. During this timeframe, 25,569 laparoscopic bariatric surgery cases were performed, including 9749 LSG (PMVT incidence after LSG = .4%). Mean age and body mass index were 40 years (18-65) and 43.4 kg/m2 (35-59.7), respectively. Abdominal pain was the most common (98%) presenting symptom. Of patients, 92% had a hematologic abnormality identified, and of these, FVIII elevation was the most common (76%). The vast majority (90%) was successfully managed with therapeutic anticoagulation alone. A smaller number of patients required small bowel resection (n = 2) and surgical thrombectomy (n = 1). There were no mortalities. CONCLUSIONS: A high index of clinical suspicion and prompt diagnosis/treatment of PMVT usually leads to favorable outcomes. FVIII elevation was the most common (76%) hematologic abnormality identified in this patient cohort. Further studies are needed to determine the prevalence of FVIII elevation in patients seeking bariatric surgery.

AIMS: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a commonly performed bariatric procedure. Although bariatric surgery is becoming increasingly recognized as a treatment option for diabetes, there remain concerns about the operative risks faced by diabetic patients. This study's objective was to determine the safety of bariatric surgery in diabetic patients, specifically the type 2 diabetic (T2DM) population. METHODS: Patients over 18 years of age with a body mass index (BMI) >/= 35 kg/m2 who underwent LSG in 2012 in the ACS-NSQIP database were identified. Emergency cases were excluded from analysis. Data included patient demographics, comorbidities, length of stay, and 30-day complications. The primary outcome was 30-day overall complication rate, and secondary outcomes included major complications and reoperation rates. RESULTS: There were 6399 LSG in the NSQIP database in 2012. Three hundred and twenty-two patients were excluded for BMI < 35, and 15 cases were deemed emergencies and excluded. Of the 6062 LSG who met the study criteria, 4726 (78 %) of patients were non-diabetic, 941 (15.5 %) had T2DM, and 395 (6.5 %) had T1DM. T2DM patients were more likely to be male (28.9 vs. 19.3 %, p < 0.001), were older (47.6 years vs. 42.5 years, p < 0.001), and had a higher BMI (46.4 vs. 45.7 kg/m2, p = 0.027) compared with non-diabetics. The overall 30-day complication rate did not differ between groups (6.5 % T2DM vs. 5.6 % non-diabetic, p = 0.292). After controlling for possible confounders, T2DM remained at no increased risk of 30-day complications (OR 1.16, 95 % CI 0.87-1.55, p = 0.301). In sub-analyses of specific complications, T2DM had a slightly higher rate of blood transfusions (1.8 vs. 1.0 %, p = 0.037). Other postoperative complications did not differ between groups. The 30-day complication rate for type 1 diabetics was greater than for T2DM (9.9 vs. 6.5 %, p = 0.031) and non-diabetics (9.9 vs. 5.6 %, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is a safe procedure for type 2 diabetics with regard to early postoperative complications.

BACKGROUND: There are minimal long-term data on biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) with or without duodenal switch (BPD/DS). OBJECTIVES: To investigate the long-term weight loss, co-morbidity remission, complications, and quality of life after BPD and BPD/DS. SETTING: An academic, university hospital in the United States. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent BPD or BPD/DS between 1999 and 2011. Outcomes included weight loss measures at 2, 5, and 10-15 years postoperatively; co-morbidity remission; long-term complications; nutritional deficiencies; and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: One hundred patients underwent BPD (34%) or BPD/DS (64%). Mean preoperative body mass index (BMI) was 50.2 kg/m2. Mean follow up was 8.2 years (range: 1-15 yr) with 72% of eligible patients in active follow up at 10-15 years postoperatively. Excess weight loss (EWL) was 65.1% at 2 years, 63.8% at 5 years, and 67.9% at 10-15 years. Approximately 10% higher %EWL was achieved for those with preoperative BMI<50 kg/m2 versus>/=50 kg/m2 and patients who underwent BPD/DS versus BPD. Although co-morbidities improved, 37% of patients developed long-term complications requiring surgery. There were no 30-day mortalities; however, there was one mortality from severe malnutrition. Nutritional deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins, anemia, and secondary hyperparathyroidism were common. Overall, 94% of patients reported satisfaction with their choice of surgery. CONCLUSION: This clinical experience supports the long-term positive safety profile and efficacy of BPD and BPD/DS at a single U.S. center. Higher levels of excess weight loss are achieved by patients with a lower preoperative BMI and BPD/DS. Although nutritional deficiencies and postoperative complications are common, patient satisfaction remains high.

Background/Purpose: Obesity is a common risk factor for knee osteoarthritis (KOA). While it is intuitive that bariatric weight loss improves knee pain, it is not clear how much is due to decreased mechanical load vs metabolic changes. Methods: Patients were screened for knee pain prior to sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, or laparoscopic gastric banding. We required pain for >15 days/month and VAS pain > 30, excluding lupus, inflammatory arthritis, crystal disease, psoriasis, and bilateral knee replacement. Enrolled patients took standing knee xrays for Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grading. We measured BMI and used the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) questionnaire at baseline and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, calculating % excess weight loss (%EWL) and deltaKOOS. We collected blood at baseline and followup to study biomarkers for predicting KOOS scores. Results: Of 536 patients considering bariatric surgery, we found 308 with knee pain and enrolled 176 (91.5% female; BMI 43.6 kg/m2+/-7, 32-61; age 42 +/-11, 18-73) well distributed in xray severity (KL0-4). For the 150 patients who had surgery, knee improvement paralleled weight loss at the followups. At 1 year, %EWL correlated well with deltaKOOS pain (R = .262, n = 114, p = 0.005), similar to other intervals and to other KOOS measures. The sleeve and bypass (n=72 and 27) vs banding (n=15) resulted in higher deltaKOOS pain at 1 year: 32.9 +/-21.3 and 30.7 +/-22.6 vs 10.2 +/-21.4, p=0.001. Sleeve and bypass patients also achieved a higher % of their potential deltaKOOS pain improvement than did banding (65.2% and 60.1% vs 16.8% of remaining KOOS points to 100), and a higher % of patients improved to any degree (93.1% and 88.9% vs 66.7%). Radiographic severity did not predict deltaKOOS at 1 year, nor did the presence of key comorbidities. Patients lost weight in a near-linear fashion through 1 year (Fig. 1), but their KOOS improvements plateaued at 1 month. This held true in sleeve and bypass subgroups (with altered anatomy), while banding showed less consistent deltaKOOS despite a similar trend in %EWL. Baseline leptin levels in obese KOA were higher than non-obese KOA and non-obese/non-OA controls from other cohorts (100.2 +/-61.9 vs 26.2 +/-16.7 and 15.4+/-13.8, p<0.001). Similarly, IL-1Ra, a potential marker of OA progression, was much higher than non-obese KOA or controls (1123+/-940 vs 324.0+/-145.6 and 272+/-130.0, p<0.001). Within obese KOA, higher leptin levels predicted worse xrays (KL0/1 vs KL2/3/4, p = 0.037). After 1 year, mean leptin and IL1-Ra from obese KOA patients had decreased (p<0.001). Conclusion: Bariatric surgery improves knee OA symptoms proportionally to %EWL. Most relief occurs during the 1st month before much weight loss, suggesting a metabolic impact beyond mechanical load reduction on joints - at least with the sleeve and bypass that alter digestive anatomy. Leptin and IL-1Ra serum levels are elevated in obese KOA vs non-obese KOA and controls - and fall after bariatric surgery which could contribute to knee pain relief

BACKGROUND: Although metabolic surgery was originally performed to treat hypercholesterolemia, the effects of contemporary bariatric surgery on serum lipids have not been systematically characterized. METHODS AND RESULTS: MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases were searched for studies with >/=20 obese adults undergoing bariatric surgery [Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGBP), Adjustable Gastric Banding, Bilio-Pancreatic Diversion (BPD), or Sleeve Gastrectomy]. The primary outcome was change in lipids from baseline to one-year after surgery. The search yielded 178 studies with 25,189 subjects (pre-operative BMI 45.5+/-4.8kg/m2) and 47,779 patient-years of follow-up. In patients undergoing any bariatric surgery, compared to baseline, there were significant reductions in total cholesterol (TC; -28.5mg/dL), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; -22.0mg/dL), triglycerides (-61.6mg/dL) and a significant increase in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (6.9mg/dL) at one year (P<0.00001 for all). The magnitude of this change was significantly greater than that seen in non-surgical control patients (eg LDL-C; -22.0mg/dL vs -4.3mg/dL). When assessed separately, the magnitude of changes varied greatly by surgical type (Pinteraction<0.00001; eg LDL-C: BPD -42.5mg/dL, RYGBP -24.7mg/dL, Adjustable Gastric Banding -8.8mg/dL, Sleeve Gastrectomy -7.9mg/dL). In the cases of Adjustable Gastric Banding (TC and LDL-C) and Sleeve Gastrectomy (LDL-C), the response at one year following surgery was not significantly different from non-surgical control patients. CONCLUSIONS: Contemporary bariatric surgical techniques produce significant improvements in serum lipids, but changes vary widely, likely due to anatomic alterations unique to each procedure. These differences may be relevant in deciding the most appropriate technique for a given patient.

Aims: Our institution implemented a Value-Based Medicine (VBM) clinical pathway to standardize the pre-, peri-, and post-operative management of longitudinal sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) patients. The goal of the program was to decrease patient length of stay (LOS) while maintaining the same clinical outcomes seen prior to initiation. Methods: The VBM pathway was instituted in September of 2014. A retrospective review was performed of all primary LSG cases from 2011-2015. Pre-VBM LSG patients were matched to post-VBM patients in a 1:1 ratio. Matching criteria were age within five years, body-mass index (BMI) within 5 kg/m, expected LOS within 0.5 days, same sex, and same status for prior abdominal surgery. Patients < 18 years of age, body mass index (BMI) < 35, and those with prior bariatric surgery were excluded from analysis. Primary outcomes were LOS, LOS > 2 days, operating room (OR) time, and cost per admission. Secondary outcomes included 30-day readmissions and reoperations. Results: There were 426 pre-VBM and 507 post-VBM patients. After matching for age, sex, BMI, expected LOS and previous abdominal surgery, there were 330 patients in each of the pre-VBM and post-VBM groups. There were no clinically significant demographic differences between the two groups. The post-VBM group had shorter mean OR time (75.1 vs 95.8 min, p<.0001), shorter LOS (1.50 vs 1.94 days, p<.0001), lower cost (median cost $792 less than pre-VBM group, p<.0001), and lower reoperation rate (0.0% vs 2.1%, p=.015). Readmission rate was lower in the post-VBM group, but did not reach statistical significance (2.7% vs 4.9%, p=.154). After controlling for hospital trends over time, LOS > 2 days (p=.008) and median cost (p=.019) remained significant. OR time (p=.058) and mean LOS (p=.338) still showed an improved trend, but could not be directly correlated to VBM implementation. Conclusions: Standardization of clinical care for LSG patients is feasible and effective. Patient length of stay and hospital cost were successfully decreased with no negative impact seen on 30-day post-operative outcomes