Metabolic surgery in patients over 60 years old: short- and long-term results

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass can treat obesity related comorbidities and can prolong life expectancy. It remains unclear whether this type of surgery is also indicated in obese patients with advanced age.

In this retrospective monocentric study, we investigated the morbidity and outcomes of weight and metabolic control of bariatric surgery in patients older than 60 years and compared these findings with those of younger patients.

At 18 months after RY gastric bypass, weight losses of respectively 30 ± 11% and 34 ± 9% of total initial body weight were measured in the older and younger patients (p < 0.05). After 12 months, HbA1c dropped below 6.5% in 89% of patients younger and in 81% of patients older than 60 (p = 0.11). There was no mortality in either group, but there were significantly more complications and there was a longer hospital stay in the older patients.

RY gastric bypass comes with a significantly higher morbidity and hospital stay in older patients, but weight loss and improvement of DM are similar as in the younger patients.