Systematic review of 23-hour (outpatient) stay laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery

The laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) is generally considered the gold-standard bariatric procedure. It has a usual inpatient stay of 3 days. There have been few reports of gastric bypass patients being discharged within 23 hours of surgery, but its safety and feasibility has not been reviewed before. The aim of this study was to review the published literature on 23-hour stay post-LRYGB.

Systematic search was performed in Medline, Embase, and Cochrane library using the medical subject heading terms "ambulatory surgical procedures" and "bariatric surgery" with further free text search and cross references. All articles on 23-hour LRYGB that described patient selection criteria, 23-hour discharge, complications, and readmissions were reviewed. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers.

There were no randomized controlled trials. Four cohort studies were included in this review. The patients age ranged from 14 to 70 years, mean body mass index ranged from 41.2 to 49.25, and the mean operative time ranged from 112.8 to 169 minutes. 1852/2201(84.14%) patients could be discharged within 23 hours. Forty-eight patients (2.18%) developed complications and 40 patients (1.82%) were readmitted. The commonest 30-day complications were anastomotic strictures (16), gastrointestinal bleeding (9), and internal hernias (9). Five patients developed anastomotic leak and 2 patients developed pulmonary embolism. Two patients died but neither was discharged after their bypass surgery.

There is a paucity of data regarding 23-hour discharge after LRYGB. The evidence suggests that it is feasible in selected patients. However, further studies are necessary to assess its safety and acceptability.