Trends in use of bariatric surgery, 2003-2008.

BACKGROUND: During the past decade, the field of bariatric surgery has changed dramatically. This study was intended to determine trends in the use of bariatric surgery in the United States. Data used were from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2003 through 2008. STUDY DESIGN: We used ICD-9 diagnosis and procedural codes to identify all hospitalizations during which a bariatric procedure was performed for the treatment of morbid obesity between 2003 and 2008. Data were reviewed for patient characteristics, annual number of bariatric procedures, and proportion of laparoscopic cases. US Census data were used to calculate the population-based annual rate of bariatric surgery per 100,000 adults. The number of surgeons performing bariatric surgery was estimated by the number of members in the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. RESULTS: For the period between 2003 and 2008, the number of bariatric operations peaked in 2004 at 135,985 cases and plateaued at 124,838 cases in 2008. The annual rate of bariatric operations peaked at 63.9 procedures per 100,000 adults in 2004 and decreased to 54.2 procedures in 2008. The proportion of laparoscopic bariatric operations increased from 20.1% in 2003 to 90.2% in 2008. The number of bariatric surgeons with membership in the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery increased from 931 to 1,819 during the 6 years studied. The in-hospital mortality rate decreased from 0.21% in 2003 to 0.10% in 2008. CONCLUSIONS: In the United States, the number of bariatric operations peaked in 2004 and plateaued thereafter. Use of the laparoscopic approach to bariatric surgery has increased to >90% of bariatric operations. In-hospital mortality continually decreased throughout the 6-year period.

Incidence and risk factors of venous thromboembolism in colorectal surgery: does laparoscopy impart an advantage?

OBJECTIVES: Laparoscopy is increasingly used in colon and rectal procedures. However, little is known regarding the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in laparoscopic colorectal (LC) compared with that in open colorectal (OC) procedures. We aimed to compare the incidences and to highlight the risk factors of developing VTE after LC and OC surgery. DESIGN: Analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample data from 2002 through 2006. SETTING: National database. PATIENTS: Patients who underwent elective LC and OC surgery from 2002 through 2006. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURE: Incidence of VTE during initial hospitalization after LC and OC surgery; VTE classified by surgical site, pathology type, and at-risk patient population. RESULTS: Over a 60-month period, 149,304 patients underwent LC or OC resection. Overall, the incidence of VTE was significantly higher in OC cases (2036 of 141,456 [1.44%]) compared with the incidence in LC cases (65 of 7848 [0.83%]) (P < .001). When stratified according to pathologic condition and surgical site, the overall rate of VTE was highest in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and in those undergoing rectal resections. Patients who underwent OC surgery were almost twice as likely to develop VTE compared with patients who underwent LC surgery. We also identified malignancy, obesity, and congestive heart failure as statistically significant (P < .05) risk factors for VTE in OC and LC surgery. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of data from a large clinical data set, the incidence of perioperative VTE is lower after LC than after OC surgery. These findings may help colorectal surgeons use appropriate VTE prophylaxis for patients undergoing colorectal procedures.

Trends in diverticulitis management in the United States from 2002 to 2007.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the recent trends of admission and surgical management for diverticulitis in the United States. DESIGN: Retrospective database analysis. SETTING: The National Inpatient Sample database. PATIENTS: Patients admitted to the hospital for diverticulitis from 2002 to 2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient characteristics, surgical approach, and mortality were evaluated for elective or emergent admission. RESULTS: A total of 1,073,397 patients were admitted with diverticulitis (emergent: 78.3%, elective: 21.7%). The emergent admission rate increased by 9.5% over the study period. For emergent patients, 12.2% underwent urgent surgical resection and 87.8% were treated with nonoperative methods (percutaneous abscess drainage: 1.88% and medical treatment: 85.92%). There was only a 4.3% increase in urgent surgical resections, while elective surgical resections increased by 38.7.%. The overall rate of elective laparoscopic colon resection was 10.5%. Elective laparoscopic surgery nearly doubled from 6.9% in 2002 to 13.5% in 2007 (P < .001). Primary anastomosis rates increased for elective resections over time (92.1% in 2002 to 94.5% in 2007; P < .001). For urgent open operation, use of colostomy decreased significantly from 61.2% in 2002 to 54.0% in 2007 (P < .001). In-hospital mortality significantly decreased in both elective and urgent surgery (elective: 0.53% in 2002 to 0.44% in 2007; P = .001; urgent: 4.5% in 2002 to 2.5% in 2007; P < .001). CONCLUSION: Diverticulitis continues to be a source of significant morbidity in the United States. However, our data show a trend toward increased use of laparoscopic techniques for elective operations and primary anastomosis for urgent operations.

Regional differences in the use of sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma: a potential quality measure.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) provides accurate nodal staging in patients with melanoma. However, its prevalence across geographic regions is unknown. Our aim was to determine if SLNB for melanoma has been widely adopted throughout the United States. All patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) cancer registry for 2004 with melanoma were evaluated. Data were collected for demographics, depth of melanoma, and type of nodal evaluation (regional lymph node dissection vs SLNB). Registry sites were categorized into West, Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast. Chi2 analysis was performed to identify regional differences in receipt of SLNB. Overall, the West region (n = 2352) had a higher use of SLNB compared with the Midwest (n = 497), Northeast (n = 630), and Southeast (n = 268) regions (82.1% vs 77.9%, 65.4%, and 60.1%, respectively; P < 0.001). Intermediate-thickness (1 to 4 mm) melanomas had differences in SLNB use between the West and Midwest (83.6% and 81.4%) versus the Northeast and Southeast (66.3% and 60.2%) (P < 0.05). This population-based analysis shows low use of SLNB for melanoma in some U.S. regions. Further studies need to address the reasons for these differences and target ways to improve rates. Results suggest that SLNB may be considered as a potential quality measure.

Nutrition impacts the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Traditional recommendations for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) risk factor reduction include smoking cessation, low-fat/low-salt diet, exercise, and optimal medical management of chronic disease. Little attention has been paid to the role of dietary supplementation of specific nutrients in the prevention of PAD. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to determine specific nutrients that are associated with prevalent PAD in the United States (US) population. NHANES data include nationwide sampling of the US population, using physical examination, questionnaire, and laboratory testing. PAD status was defined by an ankle-brachial index (ABI) of <0.9. Nutritional information was collected by 24-hour dietary recall using the US Department of Agriculture dietary collection instrument. Data were linked to a database of foods and their nutrient composition. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate associations between specific nutrient intake and the presence of PAD. Multivariate models adjusted for the effects of age, gender, hypertension, coronary vascular disease, diabetes, and smoking. RESULTS: NHANES data for 1999 to 2004 included 7203 lower extremity examinations, of which 422 individuals had prevalent PAD (5.9%). Examinees with PAD had significantly higher rates of hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes, and smoking than those without PAD. Univariate analysis revealed that consumption of all nutrients considered were associated with lower odds of PAD, including antioxidants (vitamins A, C, and E), folate, other B vitamins (B(6), B(12)), fiber, and polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids. After adjustment for traditional risk factors, nutrients associated with reduced prevalence of PAD were vitamin A (odds ratio [OR], 0.79; P = .036), vitamin C (OR, 0.84; P < .001), vitamin E (OR, 0.78; P = .011), vitamin B(6) (OR, 0.71; P = .023), fiber (OR, 0.65; P < .001), folate (OR, 0.67; P = .006), and omega-3 (alpha-linolenic) fatty acid (OR, 0.79; P = .028). CONCLUSIONS: Improved nutrition is associated with a reduced prevalence of PAD in the US population. Higher consumption of specific nutrients, including antioxidants (vitamin A, C, and E), vitamin B(6), fiber, folate, and omega-3 fatty acids have a significant protective effect, irrespective of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. These findings suggest specific dietary supplementation may afford additional protection, above traditional risk factor modification, for the prevention of PAD.

Injury and illness casualty distributions among U.S. Army and Marine Corps personnel during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the distributions of U.S. Marine Corps and Army wounded in action (WIA) and disease and nonbattle injury (DNBI) casualties during Operation Iraqi Freedom Major Combat Phase (OIF-1) and Support and Stability Phase (OIF-2). A retrospective review of hospitalization data was conducted. chi2 tests were used to assess the Primary International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9), diagnostic category distributions by phase of operation, casualty type, and gender. Of the 13,071 casualties identified for analysis, 3,263 were WIA and 9,808 were DNBI. Overall, the proportion of WIA was higher during OIF-1 (36.6%) than OIF-2 (23.6%). Marines had a higher proportion of WIA and nonbattle injuries than soldiers. Although overall DNBI distributions for men and women were statistically different, their distributions of types of nonbattle injuries were similar. Identifying differences in injury and illness distributions by characteristics of the casualty population is necessary for military medical readiness planning.

Association of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome with obesity: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999 to 2004.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia are common conditions associated with obesity. This study provides current estimates of the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome according to the severity of obesity in men and women participating in the 1999 to 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). STUDY DESIGN: Data from a representative sample of 13,745 US men and women who participated in the NHANES between 1999 and 2004 were reviewed. Overweight and obesity classes 1, 2, and 3 were defined as a body mass index of 25.0 to 29.9, 30.0 to 34.9, 35.0 to 39.9, and> or =40.0 kg/m(2), respectively. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the 2004 National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute/American Heart Association conference proceedings. RESULTS: With increasing overweight and obesity class, there is an increase in the prevalence of hypertension (18.1% for normal weight to 52.3% for obesity class 3), diabetes (2.4% for normal weight to 14.2% for obesity class 3), dyslipidemia (8.9% for normal weight to 19.0% for obesity class 3), and metabolic syndrome (13.6% for normal weight to 39.2% for obesity class 3). With normal weight individuals as a reference, individuals with obesity class 3 had an adjusted odds ratio of 4.8 (95% CI 3.8 to 5.9) for hypertension, 5.1 (95% CI 3.7 to 7.0) for diabetes, 2.2 (95% CI 1.7 to 2.4) for dyslipidemia, and 2.0 (95% CI 1.4 to 2.8) for metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome substantially increases with increasing body mass index. These findings have important public health implications for the prevention and treatments (surgical and nonsurgical) of obesity.

Cardiovascular disease prevalence, associated risk factors, and plasma adiponectin levels among Filipino American women.

OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study was designed to examine the association between adiponectin and cardiovascular disease (CVD) among an understudied ethnic group of Filipino American women. METHODS: We recruited 266 Filipino women aged 40-86 years from the University of California, San Diego Filipino Women's Health Study (1995-1999). Plasma adiponectin was extracted from archive blood samples and measured by radioimmunoassay. CVD was defined as coronary heart disease, angina, myocardial infarction, or stroke by history, electrocardiogram (Minnesota coding), or Rose questionnaire. RESULTS: CVD prevalence among Filipinas was 20.7% (n=55), of which 85.5% were newly diagnosed. Filipinas with versus without CVD had more antihypertensive medication use (44.4% vs 26.7%), more parental history of myocardial infarction (38.2% vs 21.8%), higher proinsulin levels (13.2 vs 11.0 pmol/L), lower adiponectin levels (5.09 vs 6.15 microg/mL), and higher prevalences of the metabolic syndrome (34.6% vs 28.0%) and microalbuminuria (24.0% vs 12.2%). Adiponectin (adjusted OR .46, 95% CI .23-.89, P=.021) was independently associated with CVD in multivariate analysis that adjusted for age, exercise, family history, diabetes, hypertension, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and microalbuminuria. CONCLUSIONS: Independent of known risk factors, adiponectin was associated with CVD among Filipinas. This finding suggests that adiponectin may be a useful CVD indicator among this ethnic population.