Long-term Satisfaction with Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery: Results From a Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study

The aim of this study was to examine change in overall satisfaction with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery over 3 to 7 years post-surgery and identify pre-surgery predictors and post-surgery factors associated with not being satisfied.

It is unclear how satisfaction with RYGB surgery changes over time following surgery and factors associated with not being satisfied are not well understood.

Participants of a multicenter prospective cohort study of bariatric surgery were followed annually < 7 years. A total of 1423 participants of the 1770 who underwent RYGB had data on satisfaction with surgery (81% female; median age 47 years; median body mass index 46 kg/m 2 ).

The percentage of participants who were not satisfied with RYGB surgery significantly increased from 15.4% 3 years post-surgery to 23.0% 7 years post-surgery ( P = 0.01). Pre-surgery younger age, lower BMI, higher percent weight loss needed to reach dream weight, poorer physical and mental health, and less social support independently predicted higher risk of not being satisfied with surgery. When examining pre- to post-surgery changes, less post-surgery weight loss, worsening physical and mental health status, less social support, and greater depressive symptomology were associated with higher risk of not being satisfied with surgery.

Level of satisfaction with RYGB surgery significantly decreased 3 to 7 years following surgery. Several pre- and post-surgery characteristics were associated with not being satisfied with surgery and provide potentially useful insight into individual patient experiences following RYGB. Knowledge of these characteristics may be useful in communication between surgeons and patients regarding post-surgical expectations and the impact of surgery on patients' lives.