The impact of severe postoperative complications on outcomes of bariatric surgery-multicenter case-matched study

Magdalena Mizera1, Michał Wysocki2, Maciej Walędziak3

  • 1Second Department of General Surgery, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Cracow, Poland.

Insights

Severe postoperative complications after bariatric surgery did not impact long-term weight loss or remission of obesity-related diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Outcomes were similar compared to patients with an uneventful recovery.

Area of Science:

  • Bariatric Surgery
  • Obesity Management
  • Surgical Complications

Background:

  • Severe postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo types 3-4) in bariatric surgery are infrequent but warrant investigation.
  • The long-term impact of these complications on bariatric surgery outcomes is not extensively studied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the outcomes of bariatric treatment in patients who experienced severe postoperative complications versus those with an uneventful perioperative course.
  • To assess the influence of severe complications on weight loss and remission of obesity-related comorbidities.

Main Methods:

  • Multicenter propensity score matched analysis of 206 patients from 6 Polish public hospitals.
  • Comparison of 103 patients with severe complications (laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy [SG] or laparoscopic Roux en Y gastric bypass [RYGB]) against 103 patients without severe complications.
  • Assessment of peri- and postoperative outcomes, including total weight loss and remission rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension.

Main Results:

  • No significant difference in median total weight loss at 12 months between the complication group (28.8%) and the no-complication group (27.9%).
  • Similar remission rates for type 2 diabetes mellitus (36% vs. 42%) and arterial hypertension (41% vs. 46%) between the groups.
  • No significant difference in outcomes between laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and laparoscopic Roux en Y gastric bypass (RYGB) regarding disease remission.

Conclusions:

  • Severe postoperative complications do not significantly affect the long-term weight loss efficacy of bariatric surgery.
  • The occurrence of severe complications does not hinder the remission of obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
  • Bariatric surgery remains effective in managing obesity and related comorbidities, even in the presence of severe postoperative complications.
Abstract