Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy leads the U.S. utilization of bariatric surgery at academic medical centers

Analysis of a recent single state bariatric surgery registry revealed that laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy was the most common bariatric procedure starting in 2012. The objective of this study was to examine the trend in utilization of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy performed at academic medical centers in the United States.

Using ICD-9 diagnosis and procedure codes, clinical data obtained from the University HealthSystem Consortium database for all bariatric procedures performed for the treatment of severe obesity between October 1, 2011, and June 30, 2014. Quarterly trends in utilization for the 4 most commonly performed bariatric operations were examined, and comparisons between procedures were performed.

A total of 54,953 bariatric procedures were performed. Utilization of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy increased from 23.7% of all bariatric procedures during the fourth quarter of 2011 to 60.7% during the second quarter of 2014 while laparoscopic gastric bypass decreased from 62.2% to 37.0%, respectively. Utilization of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy surpassed that of laparoscopic gastric bypass in the second quarter of 2013 (50.6% versus 45.8%). During the same time period, utilization of open gastric bypass fell from 6.6% to 1.5%, and the use of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding decreased from 7.5% to .8%.

Within the context of U.S. academic medical centers, there has been a significant increase in the utilization of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, which has surpassed laparoscopic gastric bypass utilization since 2013. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is now the most commonly performed bariatric procedure at the national level within academic centers.