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Bariatric Surgery Before and After the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: a Comparative Study of Cases Before the Onset of the Pandemic in a High-Volume Academic Center

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Abstract

Introduction

At the beginning of the pandemic, studies showed a higher risk of severe surgical complications and mortality among patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection, which led to the suspension of elective surgery. Confinement and lockdown measures were shown to be associated with weight gain and less access to medical and surgical care in patients with obesity, with negative health consequences. To evaluate the safety of bariatric surgery during the pandemic, we compared 30-day complications between patients who underwent bariatric surgery immediately before with those who underwent bariatric surgery during the opening phase of the pandemic.

Methods

Observational analytical study of a non-concurrent cohort of patients who underwent bariatric surgery in 2 periods: pre-pandemic March 1 to December 31, 2019, and pandemic March 1 to December 31, 2020. Surgical complications were defined using the Clavien-Dindo classification.

Results

Pre-pandemic and pandemic groups included 256 and 202 patients who underwent primary bariatric surgery, respectively. The mean age was 37.6 + 10.3 years. The overall complication rate during the first 30 days of discharge was 7.42%. No differences between groups were observed in severe complications (pre-pandemic 1.56% vs. pandemic 1.98%, p: 0.58). No mortality was reported. Overall 30-day readmission was 3.28% with no differences between groups.

Conclusion

The findings of this study did not find a difference in the rate of severe complications, nor also we report severe COVID-19 complications in this high-risk population. During the pandemic, with appropriately implemented protocol, the resumption of bariatric surgery is possible with no increased risk for patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Master in Research in Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Paula León

  2. Department of Digestive Surgery, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile

    Mauricio Gabrielli, Nicolás Quezada, Fernando Crovari & Rodrigo Muñoz

Authors
  1. Paula León
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  2. Mauricio Gabrielli
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  3. Nicolás Quezada
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  4. Fernando Crovari
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  5. Rodrigo Muñoz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rodrigo Muñoz.

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For this type of study, formal consent is not required.

Conflict of Interest

The authors (Paula León MD, Mauricio Gabrielli MD, Nicolás Quezada MD, Fernando Crovari MD, Rodrigo Muñoz MD) declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Key Points

• Bariatric surgery is possible during the pandemic with proper health protocols.

• No differences between groups were observed in severe complications.

• No severe COVID-19-associated complications were reported during the pandemic period.

• During the 30 days after discharge, there were no differences in the readmission rate.

• No mortality was reported.

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León, P., Gabrielli, M., Quezada, N. et al. Bariatric Surgery Before and After the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: a Comparative Study of Cases Before the Onset of the Pandemic in a High-Volume Academic Center. OBES SURG 33, 3431–3436 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-023-06677-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-023-06677-1

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