Complications After Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass in 1573 Consecutive Patients: Are There Predictors?

Background Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP), one of the commonest performed bariatric procedures, remains a technically challenging operation associated with significant morbidity in high-risk patients. This study was conducted in order to identify predictors of complications after laparoscopic RYGBP. Methods Our prospectively established database has been assessed to review 30-day and in-hospital complications graded according to a validated scoring system (Clavien–Dindo) and separated into minor (Clavien–Dindo I–IIIa) and major (Clavien–Dindo IIIb–IV) complications. Patient- and procedure-related factors were analyzed using univariate analysis. Significant factors associated with morbidity were introduced into a multivariate analysis to identify independent predictors. Results Between 1999 and 2012, 1573 patients underwent laparoscopic RYGBP, 374 male and 1199 female. Mean age was 41 years, and mean body mass index (BMI) was 44.5 kg/m 2 . One hundred fifty-nine procedures were reoperations. One hundred fifty (9.5 %) patients developed at least one complication, and 43 (2.7 %) had major complications, leading to death in one case (0.06 %). Risk factors for morbidity were male gender ( p = 0.006) and overall experience of the team ( p