The LABS-1 results, which were published in the July 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, found that 0.3 percent of patients undergoing bariatric surgery died within 30 days.
The study followed 4,776 patients undergoing bariatric surgery for the first time, who were at least 18 years old and had an average body mass index of 44, according to the release. Most patients were white and female, and surgeries took place over a two-year period at 10 locations.
According to the LABS-1 results, 4.1 percent of patients had at least one major adverse outcome — defined as death, development of blood clots in the deep veins of the legs or in the pulmonary artery of the lungs, repeat surgeries or failure to be discharged from the hospital — within 30 days of surgery.
While low, risk of complications and 30-day mortality varied by procedure. The laparoscopic adjustable gastric band group had no deaths reported the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass group reported six (0.2 percent) and the open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass group reported nine (2.1 percent).
Although patients undergoing open Roux-en-Y procedures are typically heavier and sicker, no significant differences were seen in complication risk among the type of procedure, according to the release.
Read the NIH release about the LABS-1 complication results for bariatric surgery.
