The American surgeon
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The American surgeon · Sep 2002
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyIs bariatric surgery safe in academic centers?
Contemporary outcomes of bariatric surgery are not well defined. Our aim was to document the outcomes of bariatric surgery on the basis of surgeon caseload and affiliation. We analyzed prospectively collected Florida-wide hospital discharge data. ⋯ We conclude that outcomes of bariatric surgery in high-risk patients are similar among academic and community-based surgeons. Academic surgeons undertake bariatric surgery in high-risk patients more frequently than community-based surgeons, which underlies their increased complication rate. These prospectively collected data reflect surgical outcomes more accurately than clinical series and will impact our practice of bariatric surgery.