Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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The increase in obesity coupled with greater acceptance of the field of bariatric surgery has resulted in a substantial rise in the number of weight-loss operations. Because obese individuals are at high risk for surgical complications, concern about the safety of bariatric procedures exists. Earlier investigations of the clinical features associated with surgical complications have produced conflicting results. We sought to identify risk factors for surgical complications in a large, nationally representative population of US veterans. ⋯ We identified smoking and superobesity as preoperative risk factors associated with postoperative complications. Future studies should examine the effect of preoperative weight loss and smoking cessation on bariatric procedure outcomes.