Bariatric Surgery Utilization and Outcomes in 1998 and 2004. Statistical Brief No. 23

摘要

Morbid obesity is recognized as a major public health issue that contributes to serious health risks. Bariatric surgery has been demonstrated as a successful method of achieving dramatic weight loss among the morbidly obese. A recent meta-analysis found that 62-70 percent of excess weight was lost following gastric bypass surgery. Following successful weight loss, diabetes was completely resolved in 76.8 percent of patients. Bariatric surgery is recommended for patients with a body mass index(BMI) >=40, or a BMI >=35 with serious medical conditions (such as severe sleep apnea, obesity-related cardiomyopathy, or diabetes mellitus). A recent AHRQ study found that the number of bariatric surgeries grew by 400 percent between 1998 and 2002. This Statistical Brief updates that research and presents data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) on national estimates of bariatric surgery use and costs from 1998 to 2004.