How Many Is Enough?

[linkybo 27]

Hi All,

So I've found a surgeon I like and with the gastric sleeve, he's had no deaths and no complications. None? Well, that's what he tells me. Over the last 12 months, he's done 60 of these surgeries. He does more bands and a lot more bypasses. He's been doing these surgeries for about 5 years, so I'm trying to decide, is 60 surgeries a year enough for him to be good? How many sleeve procedures have your surgeons done? I don't want a newbie!

Thanks!

[grannyk 58]

Linkybo, 60 in 12 months...that only averages 5 per month. That's not very many in my way of thinking. If a surgeon hasn't had any deaths or complications after he's done 1,000, I would like his stats a whole lot better. There are some surgeons that do 4 to 5 a day. If I were you, I would keep looking...Kathe

[happy1957 138]

My Dr had only done about 35 total. Insurance companies only came on board a couple years ago and we are a little SLOWER here in Maine. My Dr was a plastic surgeon prior to bariactrics, I assumed her stitching line would be perfect and it was. :-) She had lots of experience with gastric bypass and lap bands. I think in all fairness, unless people pay cash, the sleeve just hasn't been covered that long.

[Tana_Q 20]

I agree with happy. My surgeon doesn't have to do 5 sleeves a day to get my business. He is a good doctor with good stats and he knows the abdominal anatomy extremely well! Plus stats can always be manipulated so I personally wouldn't go with someone based on numbers and stats only. A surgeon can be fantastic doing 5 sleeves a month.

Also as PP said, insurances are just staring to cover it so would think that is reflective of a lower # of surgeries performed as well.

ETA: There's also a downside to having a doctor do a LOT of surgeries everyday. They will be more tired! Or perhaps rushing just a bit. Productivity is not indicative of quality IMO.

[BlackBerryJuice 349]

That's plenty. Most surgeons in North American hospitals are only in the OR like 2-3 days a week (the rest is clinic consults, teaching, research activities....), so your average surgeon probably only does 15 mid-length procedures, like the VSG, every week.

[linkybo 27]

Lots of good points. Thanks for all of the replies! It sounds like 60/year is a reasonable number. I don't want to be the one they "learn" on and I also don't want to be number 784 where we are all lined up and just a number to the surgeon.

On a side note, I talked to a surgical center that is popular here (seattle area) and they had done 100's. But, when I googled the surgeon I was scheduled to meet with, he had just gotten off of probation for giving out blank prescriptions to people who wrote them for oxycodone!! Ugh. I guess the lesson here is to choose wisely and that the numbers aren't all you need to know.

[AllForMy4 58]

_{My surgeon has probably done less sleeves than that and I feel he did an amazing job on mine. He has done thousands of weight loss surgeries,it's just that the sleeve is fairly new and most insurances have just this in the past few yrs started covering it. Not alot of ppl know though that the sleeve is actually part of another weight loss surgery call the Duodenal Switch. The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy is only the making the stomach smaller part. So,your surgeon may have done even more Duodenal Switches,which means,he was doing a sleeve at the same time. I would ask about it. Good luck to you,you'll do great!}

[RickM 1,753]

That's a great point, given the relative newness of the sleeve, particularly to the insured world - looking for an experienced DS surgeon gets you a lot of sleeve experience, and as with most surgical procedures, it's hard to beat experience with the particular procedure one is interested in. Bands and RNYs, while both bariatric procedures, aren't the same as sleeve gastrectomies, and they all have their subtleties that make a difference toward success. Generally, one should look for a surgeon who has done at least 300-500 sleeves or DS's to be reasonably proficient with the sleeve.

[300PoundsDown 101]

I don't know how many mine had done to be honest. I don't think I asked. I did, however, research reviews of him online. I read tons and tons of reviews on here and on the obesity help website. To me, reading patients reviews over time was what sealed the deal. Good luck!