Early Mortality Among Medicare Beneficiaries Undergoing Bariatric Surgical Procedures

To evaluate the risk of early mortality among Medicare beneficiaries and to determine the relative risk of death among older patients.

Retrospective cohort study. SETTING AND PATIENTS: All fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries, 1997-2002. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Thirty-day, 90-day, and 1-year postsurgical all-cause mortality among patients undergoing bariatric procedures.