Evaluation of Online Videos of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Using the LAP-VEGaS Guidelines

Background Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is the most common bariatric surgical procedure worldwide. Educational videos of LSGs are available from online sources with YouTube (R) being the most popular online video repository. However, due to the unrestricted and uncontrolled nature of YouTube (R), anyone can upload videos without peer review or standardization. The LAP-VEGaS guidelines were formed to guide the production of high-quality surgical videos. The aim of this study is to use the LAP-VEGaS guidelines to determine if videos of LSGs available on Youtube (R) are of an acceptable standard for surgical educational purposes. Methods A YouTube (R) search was performed using the term laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Appropriate videos were analysed by two individuals using the sixteen LAP-VEGaS guidelines. Results A total of 575 videos were found, of which 202 videos were included and analysed using the LAP-VEGaS guidelines. The median video guideline score was 6/16 with 89% of videos meeting less than half of all guidelines. There was no correlation between the LAP-VEGaS score and view count. Conclusions There is an abundance of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy educational videos available on YouTube (R); however, when analysed using the LAP-VEGaS guidelines, the majority do not meet acceptable educational standards for surgical training purposes.