A Comparative Analysis of Safety and Efficacy of Bariatric Surgery During the Covid-19 Pandemic and Pre-Pandemic Period: Insights From the Tehran Obesity Treatment Study Publisher Pubmed



Ebadinejad A¹ ; Ghazy F¹ ; Hosseinpanah F¹ ; Fardoost S¹ ; Rajabian Tabesh M² ; Khalaj A³ ; Mahdavi M¹ ; Ebadi SA⁴ ; Valizadeh M¹ ; Barzin M¹
Source: World Journal of Surgery Published:2023

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has raised global health concerns and posed challenges for postoperative follow-up care for patients undergoing bariatric surgery due to social distancing rules. Methods: This was a cohort study on patients with morbid obesity who underwent bariatric surgery and had been enrolled in Tehran Obesity Treatment Study. Patients who had surgery between March 2020 and March 2021 were classified as those undergoing the procedure amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while those who had surgery between March 2017 and March 2018 were categorized as the pre-pandemic group. Results: The study included 982 patients in the pre-COVID-19 pandemic group and 602 patients in the COVID-19 pandemic group, with mean ages of 39.61 and 39.51 years, respectively. After adjusting for preoperative body mass index (BMI) and surgery type, the patients who underwent surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated comparable results to the pre-COVID-19 group in terms of total weight loss %, excess weight loss %, BMI reduction, and fat mass reduction during the 12-month postoperative period. Additionally, the rate of complications with a grade≥III based on the Clavien–Dindo classification was significantly lower in patients who underwent surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, there were no deaths reported in either group. Conclusion: Despite social isolation and unfavorable lifestyle modifications, bariatric surgery-induced weight loss after one year was the same in patients undergoing the procedure either before or after the implementation of social distancing measures. More research is needed to analyze the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the long-term outcomes of bariatric surgery. © 2023, The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Societe Internationale de Chirurgie.