Does Age Influence Bariatric Surgery Outcomes?

The purpose of this study was to evaluate presurgical comorbidities, perioperative and postoperative complications, and postsurgical outcomes of minimally invasive bariatric surgery in patients aged 55 years and older to determine if age should be used as a selection criteria for bariatric surgery. A total of 750 patients underwent sleeve gastrectomy or robotic-assisted Roux-en-Y gastric bypass from January 2008 to June 2014. Patients were divided into three groups according to age: <55 years old; ≥55 to <65 years old; and ≥65 years old. Demographics, presurgical comorbidities, perioperative and postoperative complications (leaks or conversions to open surgery), and postsurgical outcomes were compared across the different groups. Significant differences in presurgical comorbidities were found across age groups (p<0.001). Results from descriptive statistics revealed that patients younger than 55 years of age had a greater number of complications-defined as leaks (n=1) or conversions to open surgery (n=2)-than did patients older than 55 years of age. There were no significant differences across age groups regarding length of stay. Linear regression analysis failed to reveal significant associations between age and percentage excess weight loss at 6, 12, and 24 months follow-up. These initial results suggest that patient selection for bariatric surgery should not be based on age alone.