The National Emergency Bariatric Surgery Audit (NEBSA) is an observational study aimed at
investigating the incidence, management, and outcomes of complications following
bariatric surgery in the United Kingdom. The detailed description of the protocol
includes the following components:
Patient Recruitment and Data Collection:
Patients will be identified in hospitals across the UK where they present for an
unplanned intervention to treat a complication related to or following bariatric surgery.
Data on demographics, surgical history, site and type of index bariatric surgery,
comorbidities, complications, treatments, and outcomes will be collected through a
combination of electronic health records and manual data extraction.
Quality Assurance Plan:
Data checks will be performed to ensure range, completeness and consistency with other
data fields in the registry.
Data entry is restricted in most fields of the data form to ensure conformity of the
entries and facilitate analysis.
Sample Size Assessment:
This is a prospective observational study, so a sample size assessment is not required.
Data collection will continue for a six month period per centre then analysed to report
any statistically significant findings.
Plan for Missing Data:
Missing data is reported back to the collaborating sites to complete.
Statistical Analysis Plan:
The Shapiro-Wilk test will be used to check variables for Gaussian distribution. Basic
demographics will be presented as absolute numbers of participants with the respective
percentage per group or as parameter mean and standard deviation or median and range,
depending on distribution. For comparisons of interval-scaled variables, unpaired t tests
will be performed. Nonparametric between-group testing will be undertaken with 2-tailed
Mann-Whitney U tests. Additionally, the chi-square test or Fisher exact test will be
applied to nominal scale data. Multivariable linear regression be performed for
differences among baseline demographics. Analyses will be performed in RStudio with
significance defined with p < 0.05.
The NEBSA will provide valuable insights into the prevalence, management, and outcomes of
complications following bariatric surgery in the UK. By comparing different management
strategies and their impact on patient outcomes, this study aims to identify best
practices for emergency bariatric care, ultimately improving patient outcomes and overall
healthcare quality. Another important aim is analysing the effect of patient
demographics, and engagement with NHS specialised weight loss services on the choice of
route for bariatric surgery.