ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted healthcare delivery worldwide. Resource limitations prompted a multicenter quality initiative to enhance outpatient sleeve gastrectomy workflow and reduce the inpatient hospital burden. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the efficacy of this initiative, as well as the safety of outpatient sleeve gastrectomy and potential risk factors for inpatient admission. SETTING: A retrospective analysis of sleeve gastrectomy patients was conducted from February 2020 to August 2021. METHODS: Inclusion criteria were adult patients discharged on postoperative day 0, 1, or 2. Exclusion criteria were body mass index ≥60 kg/m2 and age ≥65 years. Patients were divided into outpatient and inpatient cohorts. Demographic, operative, and postoperative variables were compared, as well as monthly trends in outpatient versus inpatient admission. Potential risk factors for inpatient admission were assessed, as well as early Clavien-Dindo complications. RESULTS: Analysis included 638 sleeve gastrectomy surgeries (427 outpatient, 211 inpatient). Significant differences between cohorts were age, co-morbidities, surgery date, facility, operative duration, and 30-day emergency department (ED) readmission. Monthly frequency of outpatient sleeve gastrectomy rose as high as 71% regionally. An increased number of 30-day ED readmissions was found for the inpatient cohort (P = .022). Potential risk factors for inpatient admission included age, diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, pre-COVID-19 surgery date, and operative duration. CONCLUSION: Outpatient sleeve gastrectomy is safe and efficacious. Administrative support for extended postanesthesia care unit recovery was critical to successful protocol implementation for outpatient sleeve gastrectomy within this large multicenter healthcare system, demonstrating potential applicability nationwide.
Subject(s)
Bariatric Surgery , COVID-19 , Laparoscopy , Obesity, Morbid , Adult , Humans , Aged , Outpatients , Retrospective Studies , Pandemics , Bariatric Surgery/adverse effects , Ambulatory Surgical Procedures/adverse effects , Postoperative Complications/etiology , COVID-19/epidemiology , Gastrectomy/methods , Laparoscopy/methods , Obesity, Morbid/complications , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The choice of treatment of recurrent dysphagia following transthoracic myotomy is unclear. Often pneumatic dilatation is tried first, followed by esophagectomy in case of failure. We propose laparoscopic Heller myotomy as an alternative treatment for this group of patients. METHODS: Three patients underwent laparoscopic Heller myotomy for the treatment of recurrent dysphagia following transthoracic myotomy. The patients had undergone an average of 7 pneumatic dilatations (range, 2 to 10) prior to referral for surgery, without resolution of their dysphagia. RESULTS: All patients successfully underwent a laparoscopic myotomy on the right side of the esophagus with a Dor fundoplication. Good or excellent results were achieved in all patients. Average followup was 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic Heller myotomy is a very effective treatment for patients who experience recurrent dysphagia following a transthoracic myotomy.
