Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass for The Aging Population

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) are the two most common bariatric surgeries for treating morbid obesity. The purpose of this study is to determine differences in outcomes from RYGB or SG between patients ages ≥ 60 years and < 60 years.

A retrospective review of patients who underwent RYGB and SG at our institution from 01/2008 to 05/2012 was conducted. Forty patients from each group (≥60 years and < 60 years) were matched based on gender, body mass index (BMI), co-morbidities, and type of bariatric surgery performed, and their charts were reviewed up to 1 year post-operatively. Primary end points measured were mean length of stay, operative time, incidence of complications, and readmissions in the first post-operative year. A secondary end point measured was percent total weight loss (%TWL) and excess weight loss (%EWL).

There were no significant differences between group < 60 and group ≥ 60 in operative time (210 vs. 229 min; p = 0.177), in-hospital post-operative complication rates (2.5 vs. 5 %; p = 1.0), long-term complication rates (2.5 vs. 10 %; p = 0.359), and 30-day readmission rates (2.5 vs. 12.5 %; p = 0.2). Patients in group < 60 had shorter lengths of stay (2.2 vs. 2.7 days; p = 0.031), but this difference is not clinically significant. Both groups achieved similar %TWL (21.4 vs. 20.5 %; p = 0.711) and %EWL (50.6 vs. 50.7 %; p = 0.986).

Advanced age (≥60 years) is not a significant predictor of a worse outcome for SG and RYGB.