Long-term outcomes of bariatric surgery: An eight-year study at a tertiary care hospital in Lebanon

Background

Obesity management presents a persistent challenge. Bariatric surgery, recognized for its transformative impact on weight loss and comorbidities, demands a thorough examination of its long-term implications.

Objectives

Our goal is to investigate different aspects of bariatric surgery, such as complications, comorbidities, infection rates, the long-term sustainability of weight loss, and factors predicting weight loss over an extended period following the procedure.

Setting

This study involves 100 patients who underwent primary bariatric surgery.

Methods

a sophisticated Longitudinal Observational Study design. With a Retrospective Component and a Follow-Up Component spanning eight years.

Results

The study included participants with a mean age of 36.4 years (±12.1) and a pre-surgery BMI of 44.5 kg/m² (±7.5). Excess Weight Loss (%EWL) peaked at 75.09 % by the third year, while Total Weight Loss (%TWL) sustained at 33.41 % after two years. Among individuals with type 2 diabetes, medication discontinuation rates reached 26.3 % at 5 years. Zero leaks, a low incidence of major complications and no incidence of mortality have been noted. In an extended 7-year follow-up, 40 % of patients experienced weight regain. Multivariate analyses identified age and preoperative BMI as negatively associated significant predictors impacting %EWL at three years, with standardized beta coefficients of −0.488 (p = 0.001) and −0.450 (p < 0.001), respectively. Conversely, smoking and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus exhibited positive associations, with standardized beta coefficients of 0.336 (p = 0.004) and 0.286 (p = 0.063), respectively.

Conclusions

Bariatric surgery is acknowledged as a safe and efficacy procedure for reducing weight and comorbidities, with a relatively low incidence of major complications.