Obese gastroparesis inpatient admissions: trends and outcomes from 2007-2017 in the United States

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate obese gastroparesis (GP) hospitalizations in the United States (US). METHODS: We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2007-2017 to identify all adult obese (body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2)) GP hospitalizations. These were compared with non-obese GP hospitalizations. The demographic trends, adverse outcomes, and healthcare burden were analyzed. RESULTS: From 2007-2017, obese GP hospitalizations accounted for 13.75% of all GP hospitalizations in the US. There was an increasing trend in obese GP hospitalizations, from 2286 in 2007 to 47,265 in 2017 (P=0.0019), and in the proportion of obese GP hospitalizations, from 6.16% in 2007 to 17.96% in 2017 (P<0.001). Males, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians showed a rising trend in obese GP hospitalizations. Although rates of upper endoscopy declined from 8.28% in 2007 to 5.36% in 2017 (P<0.001), obese GP hospitalizations had higher rates of upper endoscopy utilization (6.05 vs. 5.42%, P<0.001) compared to the non-obese cohort. Inpatient mortality for obese GP hospitalizations increased from 0.64% in 2007 to 1.10% in 2017 (P<0.001). Furthermore, we noted a rising trend in mean length of stay (LOS), from 4.64 in 2007 to 6.05 days in 2017 (P=0.0029), and mean total hospital charge (THC), from $22,306 in 2007 to $62,220 in 2017 (P<0.001) for obese GP hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of obese GP hospitalizations along with inpatient mortality, LOS, and THC rose significantly. However, the overall rate of upper endoscopy utilization has decreased for these patients.