Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass in the Elderly: a Systematic Review

The prevalence of severe obesity in the elderly is increasing. This systematic review reviews the literature in reference to the efficacy and safety of bariatric surgery on the elderly patient ≥ 65 years. A comprehensive search of electronic databases was completed. The data was limited to include only Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patients ≥ 65 years. Eight primary studies (1835 patients) were included, all case series. Mean age was 67.6 years. Mean excess weight loss at study endpoint was 66.2 %. Mean 30-day mortality was 0.14 %. The mean total post-operative complication rate was 21.1 %, with wound infections being the most common (7.58 %) followed by cardiorespiratory complications (2.96 %). Bariatric surgery is effective in producing marked weight loss in patients ≥ 65 years with an acceptable safety profile.