Flum DR, Salem L, Broeckel Elrod J, et al. Early mortality among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing bariatric surgical procedures. JAMA 2005; 294(15):1,903-1,908.
A study of more than 16,000 Medicare patients who underwent bariatric surgery shows a higher mortality rate than reported in previous studies.
Of the patients who underwent surgery between 1997 and 2002, more than 5% of men and nearly 3% of women, ages 35 to 44, died within a year of surgery. Rates only were slightly higher for patients between the ages of 45 to 54, but patients between the ages of 65 to 74 were significantly higher with nearly 13% of men and about 6% of women dying within a year of surgery. In patients 75 and older, nearly half of the men and 40% of the women died within a year.
While deaths were not broken down by cause, it is known that obesity surgery does create stress on the body and it is associated with complications such as malnutrition, infection, and bowel and gallbladder problems.
The study’s data show an increased risk that is strongly associated with advancing age, male sex, and lower surgeon volume. Patients who underwent the surgery at facilities or with surgeons who perform fewer than 50 procedures during the year were at highest risk, say study authors.
A study of more than 16,000 Medicare patients who underwent bariatric surgery shows a higher mortality rate than reported in previous studies.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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