Episode 144: Post Bariatric Surgery Complications Part 1

Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic.

Bariatric surgery is one treatment option, and it's associated with improved outcomes for these patients.

That includes significant sustainable weight loss, also partial or even total remission of obesity-related comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and obstructive sleep apnea.

And even more importantly, there's a decrease in mortality.

Bariatric surgeries can be categorized into three big groups.

Those are restrictive procedures that limit food intake.

There's malabsorptive procedures that limit food absorption.

And then the final category is mixed restrictive and malabsorptive procedures that do both.

Restrictive procedures include adjustable gastric banding, endoscopic gastric balloon insertion, and sleeve gastrectomy.

Mixed restrictive and malabsorptive procedures include Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and then biliopancreatic diversion with or without duodenal switch.

These surgeries are common.

In 2019, over 250,000 bariatric surgeries were performed in the US.

The average age of patients undergoing bariatric surgery is in their 40s, and the majority of patients are female.

Most procedures are performed under laparoscopic guidance.

Less than 7% use an open technique.

In 2006, the most common procedure performed was the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, just over 65% of bariatric surgeries in the US that year.

More recently, though, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has become more common.

It accounts for just under 71% of all bariatric surgeries.

Overall, post-operative mortality from bariatric surgery is less than 1%, but over half of bariatric patients will visit the ED at least once in the first two years following surgery for a bariatric-related complaint.

Up to about 30% of bariatric surgery patients will visit the ED in the first 90 days post-operatively, and 10% of visits will result in a readmission due to a surgical complication.

Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic.

Bariatric surgery is one treatment option, and it's associated with improved outcomes for these patients.

That includes significant sustainable weight loss, also partial or even total remission of obesity-related comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and obstructive sleep apnea.

And even more importantly, there's a decrease in mortality.

Bariatric surgeries can be categorized into three big groups.

Those are restrictive procedures that limit food intake.

There's malabsorptive procedures that limit food absorption.

And then the final category is mixed restrictive and malabsorptive procedures that do both.

Restrictive procedures include adjustable gastric banding, endoscopic gastric balloon insertion, and sleeve gastrectomy.

Mixed restrictive and malabsorptive procedures include Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and then biliopancreatic diversion with or without duodenal switch.

These surgeries are common.

In 2019, over 250,000 bariatric surgeries were performed in the US.

The average age of patients undergoing bariatric surgery is in their 40s, and the majority of patients are female.

Most procedures are performed under laparoscopic guidance.

Less than 7% use an open technique.

In 2006, the most common procedure performed was the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, just over 65% of bariatric surgeries in the US that year.

More recently, though, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has become more common.

It accounts for just under 71% of all bariatric surgeries.

Overall, post-operative mortality from bariatric surgery is less than 1%, but over half of bariatric patients will visit the ED at least once in the first two years following surgery for a bariatric-related complaint.

Up to about 30% of bariatric surgery patients will visit the ED in the first 90 days post-operatively, and 10% of visits will result in a readmission due to a surgical complication.