Additional preparation program for bariatric surgery: Two-year results of a large cohort study

Area of Science:

• Bariatric surgery outcomes
• Obesity management
• Metabolic disease remission

Background:

• Multidisciplinary screening is recommended for bariatric surgery candidates.
• Some centers offer an additional preparation program (APP) to optimize patients preoperatively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of an APP versus standard care for bariatric surgery patients.
• To evaluate differences in postoperative weight loss and comorbidity resolution at 2 years.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy patients (Sept 2017-Mar 2019).
• Comparison between patients receiving APP and standard care.
• Multivariable linear regression analysis to identify predictors of weight loss.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in % total weight loss at 2 years between APP (28.8%) and standard care (32%) groups (p=0.001).
• APP was predictive of decreased postoperative weight.
• Diabetes mellitus remission was significantly higher in the APP group (84.1%) compared to standard care (61.9%) (p=0.028).

Conclusions:

• An additional preparation program is not essential for achieving effective weight loss after primary bariatric surgery.
• The APP group demonstrated improved remission rates for diabetes mellitus.