Impact of minimally invasive/bariatric surgery fellowship on perioperative complications and outcomes in the first year of practice

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Several reports have described worse perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic gastric bypass procedure during learning curve, which improved after completion of one-year fellowship training. AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the immediate impact of fellowship training on perioperative complications and outcomes of various bariatric procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred initial patients who underwent laparoscopic gastric banding, laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy, and robotically-assisted laparoscopic biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch by a single fellowship trained surgeon were analyzed. RESULTS: Overall average Body Mass Index (BMI) of the patients was 45.9 kg/m(2), age was 47.5 years, and the American Society of Anesthesiologist Score was 2.89. There were no intraoperative, major 30-day complications, or open conversions. Average operative time was 62 minutes in gastric banding, 160 minutes in gastric bypass, 119 minutes in vertical sleeve gastrectomy, and 320 minutes in biliopancreatic diversion. Length of stay ranged from 0.5 day after gastric banding to 3.9 days after biliopancreatic diversion. The perioperative complications and outcomes are comparable with those reported by experienced surgeons. No mortality occurred in this series. CONCLUSIONS: Bariatric fellowship ensured skills acquisition for new surgeons to safely and effectively perform various types of bariatric operations, with minimal perioperative complications and excellent outcomes.