Any Weight Loss Before Bariatric Surgery May Cut 30-Day Mortality

THURSDAY, May 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Even moderate weight loss before bariatric surgery is associated with a lower risk for 30-day mortality, according to a study published online May 14 in JAMA Network Open.

Yangbo Sun, M.D., Ph.D., from University of Iowa College of Public Health in Iowa City, and colleagues examined the association of preoperative body mass index (BMI) and weight loss with 30-day mortality after bariatric surgery among 480,075 patients (mean age, 45.1 years; 79.8 percent women) who underwent bariatric surgery from 2015 to 2017 and were captured in the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program.

The researchers noted 511 deaths (0.1 percent) within 30 days of bariatric surgery. The multivariable-adjusted odds ratios for 30-day mortality for patients with preoperative BMI of 40 to 44.9, 45 to 49.9, 50 to 54.9, and ≥55 kg/m² were 1.37, 2.19, 2.61, and 5.03, respectively, compared with patients with a preoperative BMI of 35 to 39.9 kg/m². For patients with weight loss of >0 to <5 percent, 5 to 9.9 percent, and ≥10 percent, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratios for 30-day mortality were 0.76, 0.69, and 0.58, respectively, versus patients with no preoperative weight loss.

“These findings may help to inform future updates of clinical guidelines regarding bariatric surgery,” the authors write.

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