Risk factors for postoperative sepsis in laparoscopic gastric bypass

Introduction Postoperative sepsis is a rare but serious complication following elective surgery. The purpose of this study was to identify the rate of postoperative sepsis following elective laparoscopic gastric bypass (LGBP) and to identify patients’ modifiable, preoperative risk factors. Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried from 2005 to 2013 for factors associated with the development of postoperative sepsis following elective LGBP. Patients who developed sepsis were compared to those who did not. Results were analyzed using the Chi-square test for categorical variables and Wilcoxon two-sample test for continuous variables. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was utilized to calculate adjusted odds ratios for factors contributing to sepsis. Results During the study period, 66,838 patients underwent LGBP. Of those, 546 patients developed postoperative sepsis (0.82 %). The development of sepsis was associated with increased operative time (161 ± 77.8 vs. 135.10 ± 56.5 min; p