My surgeon's stats...what should I be looking for??

Recently Elina said that it is important to have a surgeon with good stats...but exactly what should I be looking for?

number of vsgs performed? what number would be desirable?

mortality rate? complication rate?

anything else?

oh, and what exactly is a "bariatric center of excellence"? what exactly does that mean?

Thanks! :)

Yes to all of the above.  Let me take it one at a time and tell you what MY opinion is on the subject.  Again, this is just my own thinking and you might have different opinions.  It is up to you to decide what makes the most sense to you.

1) I wanted a doctor that has performed at least 300 VSG surgeries.  My reasoning for this is that it takes a long time to really understand the implications of your surgical technique as witnessed by the surgeon through years of experience with his patients.  My own doctor has often talked about the changes that he has made through the 11 years that he has been doing this surgery and why he has made those changes.  Having knowledge is a wonderful thing, but having long term experience is also important and only a surgeon that has worked with people that are further out really understands what maintenance with the sleeve is all about and what can be done during surgery to maximize the final effect.

2) I wanted to know the mortality rate, the complication rate, specifically the leak rate and compare those to national norms for this surgery. 

3) I wanted to know what percentage of my EW he expected me to lose and what his stats on EW were in general.  I was not happy with just the general stats for the sleeve, I wanted to know his percentages. 

4) Finally, I wanted to know what percentage of his practice is devoted to the doing this surgery and what other surgeries he performs and in what quantities.

5) I wanted to know and understand where he fell on the whole sleeve size debate and what what size boughie he was going to use and why.  I wanted to how close he cuts to the top and bottom of the stomach and what he believed my eventual capacity would be when the sleeve will mature. 

I was looking for someone who had the most experience making the tightest sleeve with the lowest complication rate.

I think everything Elina said is good advice.  The center I went to didn't have as much experience with the sleeve, as insurance companies were just starting to approve that procedure.  However, their stats around complication rates, re-hospitalization, and mortality were much better than the national average.  They were also a center of excellence, with a 1A rating, which means meeting the highest standards.  There was a bariatric surgery program 20-25 minutes away from me, and 5 minutes from my office, but I chose to go to the one an hour away from home.  Having that extra drive was less convenient, but I wanted the best possible outcome.  The other thing that I considered, though I would have still chosen the program and the surgeon I did anyway, was that my surgeon was proficient in doing robotic assisted WLS, which cuts down on surgery time and gives the surgeon some advantages with range of motion and decreasing fatigue.  Dr. Toder actually has trained other bariatric surgeons (and those in other fields) from around the country and some from out of the country, on this technique.

I would also inquire about post-op follow-up. How often does the program expect to see you post-op and what occurs at each appointment? Do they offer a support group? Who runs the support group? How often does it meet and what do they do for a typical meeting?

Good point Chris!  The program I went with has monthly support groups and regular follow ups with the NUT and surgeon.  At 18 months out, I'm just now scheduled to see a PA instead of the surgeon.  The surgeons also rotate coming to support groups.  They have also support groups at several other locations, so I don't have to travel an hour on a stormy day, as it's in the next town over from me.  This on-going follow up has helped tremendously!