Geriatric Bariatric Surgery: Outcomes at a Single Institution

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Surgical Innovation
• Obesity Management

Background:

• Obesity in individuals over 65 is linked to significant health issues and reduced quality of life.
• Bariatric surgery offers effective weight loss and comorbidity management, increasingly used in middle-aged groups.
• The safety and efficacy of bariatric surgery in older adults require specific evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the safety and efficacy of bariatric surgery in patients aged 65 and older.
• To evaluate weight loss and comorbidity improvement following bariatric procedures in the geriatric population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of patients aged 65+ who underwent bariatric surgery from 2018-2021.
• Analysis of patient demographics, comorbidities, and post-operative outcomes.
• Inclusion of 11 patients with a mean age of 67.5 years.

Main Results:

• All 11 patients had obesity-related comorbidities, including hypertension (90.9%), obstructive sleep apnea (72.7%), and diabetes mellitus (54.5%).
• The average excess weight loss (%EWL) at 12 months was 26.1%.
• Significant improvements in comorbidities were observed with no reported post-operative complications.

Conclusions:

• Bariatric surgery is a safe procedure for the geriatric population.
• The surgery leads to substantial weight loss and improvement in obesity-related comorbidities in older adults.
• This supports the consideration of bariatric surgery for selected elderly patients.