Revisional bariatric surgery to single-anastomosis gastric bypass: a large multi-institutional series

Reoperation is often required after bariatric procedures. Single-anastomosis gastric bypass (SAGB) is increasingly utilized as a primary bariatric procedure. Few series document SAGB as a revisional bariatric procedure.

To describe our short-term experience with revisional SAGB, focusing on weight loss and reflux symptom outcomes.

Three hospitals in Australia with both private and public (government funded) patients.

We reviewed all revisional SAGB cases from 2012 to 2019 at. Complications were considered significant if they were Clavien-Dindo grade 3a or higher. A phone survey was conducted to assess weight loss outcomes, patient satisfaction, reflux symptoms, and other complications.

We identified 254 patients who had a revisional bariatric procedure to SAGB (21 previous sleeve gastrectomies and 233 previous adjustable bands), with a mean follow-up of 22 ± 15.6 months (range, 1-55 mo). The mean percentage of excess weight loss was 77% (183 patients, 72%), and the number of patients with follow-ups at 1 and 4 years was 184 (73%) and 35 patients (14%). Within 30 days, there were 29 patients (11%) who required reinterventions (21 endoscopies, 1 interventional radiology procedure, and 7 reoperations) with no deaths. Beyond 30 days, 27 patients (11%) required rerevision to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for reflux symptoms and 10 (4%) required a laparotomy or laparoscopy for another reason (e.g., bowel obstruction). At a median follow-up of 36.6 months, 87 patients (34%) completed a phone survey, 45 (52%) of whom were taking proton pump inhibitors and 66 patients (76%) of whom were satisfied with their experience.

In our series, revision to SAGB was safe, with low short-term morbidity and favorable weight loss outcomes. However, beyond 1 year, a large proportion of patients experienced severe reflux symptoms and required rerevision.