Abstract
Background: Postoperative pneumonia (PP) and respiratory failure (PRF) are known to be the most common nonwound complications after bariatric surgery. Our objective was to identify their current prevalence after bariatric surgery and to study the preoperative factors associated with them using data from the American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Methods: Patients undergoing bariatric surgery were identified from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (2006-2008), a multicenter, prospective database. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed. Results: Of 32,889 patients, PP was diagnosed in 187 patients (.6%) and PRF in 204 patients (.6%). The overall 30-day morbidity rate was 6.4%, with PP and PRF accounting for 18.7%. The 30-day mortality rate was greater for the patients with PP and PRF than those without (4.3% versus.16% and 13.7% versus.10%, P