The Risks of Gastric Bypass Surgery
Reported October 24, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Gastric bypass is not a risk-free fix to the obesity epidemic, according to a recent study. New research shows people who undergo gastric bypass surgery have twice the rate of hospitalization in the year following the operation.
More than 100,000 people have the bariatric surgical procedure known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) every year in the United States. Research shows the average percentage of weight loss after the surgery is 61 percent, and it offers significant benefits. Diseases like diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea are significantly improved or resolved in most people who have the surgery. However, it may offer more than patients bargain for.
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, studied the impact of the surgery on the use of inpatient care by assessing the rates of inpatient hospitalization before and after gastric bypass surgeries were performed. From 1995 to 2004, there were 60,077 people who had this type of gastric bypass surgery in California. The average age of patients was 42, and 84 percent of the patients were women.
Results of the study show nearly 20 percent of patients followed for one year after surgery were readmitted to the hospital within that year. Less than 8 percent of those same people were admitted to the hospital the year before the surgery. In patients followed for three years, the rates of hospitalization remained increased in each of the years following the surgery. The collective admission rate for the three years before the surgery was about 20 percent. It was more than 40 percent for the three years after surgery.
The most common reasons for hospitalization after surgery were thought to be procedure related, such as ventral hernia repair and gastric revision.
David S. Zingmond, M.D., Ph.D., from UCLA, says, “A working hypothesis in our study was that use of health care services should likewise improve, namely that inpatient care should decrease after [gastric bypass surgery]. However, we found significant and sustained increases in the rates of hospital admission for morbidly obese patients after [gastric bypass surgery].
Authors of the study conclude, “The potential of [gastric bypass surgery] for yielding long-term weight reduction and alleviation of obesity-related comorbid illnesses has significantly increased the rates of [gastric bypass surgery] over the past decade. Despite these potential benefits, the current study demonstrates that the rates of hospitalization double in the years after operation and that many of these admissions are directly attributable to this procedure.”
