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INTRODUCTION: Bariatric surgery results in both intentional and unintentional metabolic changes. In a high-volume bariatric center, extensive laboratory panels are used to monitor these changes pre- and postoperatively. Consecutive measurements of relevant biochemical markers allow exploration of the health state of bariatric patients and comparison of different patient groups. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to compare biomarker distributions over time between 2 common bariatric procedures, i.e., sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and gastric bypass (RYGB), using visual analytics. METHODS: Both pre- and postsurgical (6, 12, and 24 months) data of all patients who underwent primary bariatric surgery were collected retrospectively. The distribution and evolution of different biochemical markers were compared before and after surgery using asymmetric beanplots in order to evaluate the effect of primary SG and RYGB. A beanplot is an alternative to the boxplot that allows an easy and thorough visual comparison of univariate data. RESULTS: In total, 1,237 patients (659 SG and 578 RYGB) were included. The sleeve and bypass groups were comparable in terms of age and the prevalence of comorbidities. The mean presurgical BMI and the percentage of males were higher in the sleeve group. The effect of surgery on lowering of glycated hemoglobin was similar for both surgery types. After RYGB surgery, the decrease in the cholesterol concentration was larger than after SG. The enzymatic activity of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphate in sleeve patients was higher presurgically but lower postsurgically compared to bypass values. CONCLUSIONS: Beanplots allow intuitive visualization of population distributions. Analysis of this large population-based data set using beanplots suggests comparable efficacies of both types of surgery in reducing diabetes. RYGB surgery reduced dyslipidemia more effectively than SG. The trend toward a larger decrease in liver enzyme activities following SG is a subject for further investigation.
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BACKGROUND: Anxiety levels before cesarean delivery (CD) can lead to a negative birth experience, which may influence several aspects of the woman's life in the long term. Improving preoperative information may lower preoperative anxiety and lead to a more positive birth experience. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether a virtual reality (VR) video in addition to standard preoperative information decreases anxiety levels before a planned CD. METHODS: Women scheduled to undergo term elective CD were recruited from the outpatient clinic. They were randomized and stratified based on history of emergency CD (yes or no). All participants received standard preoperative information (folder leaflets and counseling by the obstetrician); the VR group additionally watched the VR video showing all aspects of CD such as the ward admission, operating theater, spinal analgesia, and moment of birth. The primary outcome measure was a change in score on the Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety (ΔVAS-A) measured at admission for CD, compared with the baseline VAS-A score. RESULTS: A total of 97 women were included for analysis. The baseline characteristics were similar in both groups, except for a significantly higher level of education in the control group. There was no significant decrease in the VAS-A score of the women in the VR group (n=49) compared with those in the control group (n=48; ΔVAS-A=1.0; P=.08; 95% CI -0.1 to 2.0). Subgroup analysis for the group of women with a history of emergency CD showed a trend toward decreased preoperative anxiety, despite the small sample size of this subgroup (n=17; P=.06). Of the 26 participants who provided completed questionnaires, 22 (85%) in the VR group reported feeling more prepared after seeing the VR video; of the 24 participants' partners who completed the questionnaires, 19 (79%) agreed with the participants. No discomfort or motion sickness was reported. CONCLUSIONS: A VR video may help patients and their partners feel better prepared when planning a CD. This study showed that VR does not lead to a decrease in preoperative anxiety. However, subgroups such as women with a history of emergency CD may benefit from VR videos. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) 74794447; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN74794447 (retrospectively registered).