Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases 9 (2013) 693–695 Original article Four-year experience with outpatient laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding Enrique F. Elli, M.D., F.A.C.S. a,b , Mario A. Masrur, M.D. a, * , Mohamed El Zaeedi, M.D. a , Carlos A. Galvani, M.D. a,b , Nader Bozorgui, M.D. b , Pier C. Giulianotti, M.D., F.A.C.S. a a Division of General, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois b 900 North Michigan Surgical Center, Chicago, Illinois Received May 18, 2012; accepted August 28, 2012 Abstract Background: Outpatient laparoscopic procedures have been performed in various fields of surgery, and laparoscopic gastric banding is no exception. We present our series of outpatient laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding procedures performed at 2 centers. Methods: A total of 348 patients were retrospectively analyzed. All patients met the National Institutes of Health criteria for bariatric surgery. Additionally, to be included in an outpatient surgery procedure, patients had to meet 4 other criteria: body mass index o55, American Society of Anesthesiologists class r3, no extensive abdominal surgical history (in the upper gastrointestinal tract), and no untreated sleep apnea. Results: There were 282 women and 66 men, with a mean age of 41.3 years. The mean pre- operative weight and BMI were 266.7 pounds and 43.1 kg/m 2 , respectively. The median operative time was 70 minutes, and the median blood loss was 5 mL. The median length of stay was .3 day (range .1–.4). Fifty-seven patients underwent additional associated procedures. During follow-up, 20 patients required a reoperation. Two patients required admission to the hospital. There was no perioperative or postoperative mortality. Before discharge, all patients underwent an upper gastro- intestinal swallow. Conclusion: Outpatient laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is a well-tolerated, cost-effective bariatric procedure for patients who meet the inclusion criteria. (Surg Obes Relat Dis 2013;9:693–695.) r 2013 American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. All rights reserved. Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Outpatient surgery; Laparoscopic gastric banding The increasing costs of surgical procedures, combined with the high demand for bariatric surgeries, have led to new modalities that can quicken the admission process as well as the treatment, postoperative care, and subsequent discharge. These modalities have been implemented in various fields [1] and include outpatient surgery, in which patients are discharged the same day or in o24 hours. The most common outpatient bariatric procedure per- formed is laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB). This is mainly due to a low complication rate and a simple surgical technique [2–7]. Outpatient Roux-en-Y gastric bypass has also been reported [8,9], although there is mixed accep- tance from bariatric surgeons. Several outpatient laparoscopic gastric banding series have been published but with no clear standardization or selection criteria with which to include patients as possible candidates [4]. We present our 4-year experience with outpatient LAGB performed at 2 centers using 4 criteria for patient selection. Methods From January 2008 to December 2011, from a total number of 420 LAGB candidates, 348 patients were selected for LAGB on outpatient basis. Data were retrospectively collected from an 1550-7289/13/$ – see front matter r 2013 American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soard.2012.08.013 * Correspondence: Mario A. Masrur, M.D., Division of General, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 South Wood Street, M/C 958, Suite 435E, Chicago, IL 60612. E-mail: mmasrur@uic.edu