Guideline compliance in bariatric surgery: a French nationwide study

Strict adherence to guidelines with a comprehensive preoperative assessment and rigorous follow-up are essential to improve postoperative and long-term outcomes of bariatric surgery (BS).

To investigate the trends in BS in France and to assess the compliance to guidelines in people with obesity before and after BS.

University Hospital of Bordeaux, France.

Data on patients who were admitted for a primary BS procedure in France between January 1 and April 1, 2014, were extracted from the French national health insurance system database. Data on patients' characteristics, preoperative assessment, hospitalization, and postoperative follow-up, including medical consultations, laboratory tests, and drug consumption, during the year preceding and the 2 years after BS were collected.

Most of the 11,824 patients (60.4%) had sleeve gastrectomy. Rates of reimbursement for preoperative consultations with general practitioners, digestive surgeons, and endocrinologists or internists were 94.5%, 89.2%, and 63%, respectively. Laboratory tests for nutritional and obesity-related co-morbidity evaluations were performed in 94.3% and 91.4%, respectively. Rates of consultation with general practitioners, digestive surgeons, and endocrinologists or internists dropped from 93.1%, 91.2%, and 29.2%, respectively, the first year to 88.4%, 50.3%, and 20%, respectively, the second year after BS (P < .001). Reimbursements for vitamin, iron, and calcium supplementation dropped from 66.6%, 24.9%, and 21%, respectively, the first year to 52.1%, 19.3%, and 11.7%, respectively, the second year after BS (P < .001).

Overall compliance with guidelines is improving. While preoperative medical assessment is nearly optimal, efforts still should be made in order to improve long-term follow-up in general and patient adherence to micronutrient supplementation in particular.