Clinical characteristics of patients undergoing primary bariatric surgery in the United Kingdom based on the National Bariatric Surgery Registry

Assessing economic investment required to scale up bariatric surgery capacity in England: a health economic modelling analysis

OBJECTIVES

To quantify the economic investment required to increase bariatric surgery (BaS) capacity in National Health Service (NHS) England considering the growing obesity prevalence and low provision of BaS in England despite its high clinical effectiveness.

DESIGN

Data were included for the patients with obesity who were eligible for BaS. We used a decision-tree approach including four distinct steps of the patient pathway to capture all associated resource use. We estimated total costs according to the current capacity (current scenario) and three BaS scaling up strategies over a time horizon of 20 years (projected scenario): maximising NHS capacity (strategy 1), maximising NHS and private sector capacity (strategy 2) and adding infrastructure to NHS capacity to cover the entire prevalent and incident obesity populations (strategy 3).

SETTING

BaS centres based in NHS and private sector hospitals in England.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Number of BaS procedures (including revision surgery), cost (GBP) and resource utilisation over 20 years.

RESULTS

At current capacity, the number of BaS procedures and the total cost over 20 years were estimated to be 140 220 and £1.4 billion, respectively. For strategy 1, these values were projected to increase to 157 760 and £1.7 billion, respectively. For strategy 2, the values were projected to increase to 232 760 and £2.5 billion, respectively. Strategy 3 showed the highest increase to 564 784 and £6.4 billion, respectively, with an additional 4081 personnel and 49 facilities required over 20 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The expansion of BaS capacity in England beyond a small proportion of the eligible population will likely be challenging given the significant upfront economic investment and additional requirement of personnel and infrastructure.

A Nationwide Report on Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in 2019-2022: Utilizing the Korean Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Database Registry

Purpose

The introduction of insurance coverage in Korea has led to a rise in the number of bariatric and metabolic surgeries. This study aims to provide a comprehensive report on the nationwide status of these surgeries from 2019 to 2022, utilizing data from the Korean Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (KSMBS) database registry.

Materials and Methods

This study analyzed data from the KSMBS registry, collected from 68 certified surgeons across 58 institutions from January 2019 to December 2022. After excluding non-relevant cases, the final analysis included 7,377 patients.

Results

Annually, data for 1,869, 1,934, 1,782, and 1,792 patients were collected from 2019 to 2022, respectively. The rate of revisional operations accounted for 7.1%, 8.2%, 4.6%, and 4.5% of the total cases each year. The most common primary surgery was Sleeve Gastrectomy (SG, ranging from 71.1% to 78.9%), followed by Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB, ranging from 9.6% to 13.4%). The surgeries demonstrated a high safety profile, with a low morbidity rate (0.5% to 0.9%) and a zero mortality rate over the 4 years. Within 2 years post-operation, the Total Weight Loss Percentage was similar among patients who underwent SG, RYGB, and Sleeve Plus procedures.

Conclusion

The number of bariatric and metabolic surgeries in Korea has increased significantly since the introduction of national insurance coverage. SG was the most performed primary procedure. All surgical procedures showed safe short-term outcomes and yielded reasonable results upon follow-up, indicating a positive impact of insurance coverage on the accessibility and safety of surgeries.

Characterizing barriers and facilitators of metabolic bariatric surgery tourism: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Metabolic bariatric surgery tourism continues to rise and has become a growing concern for bariatric surgeons globally. With varying degrees of regulation, counselling and success, those that develop complications may have to deal with a multitude of challenges often distant from their country of operation. The aim of this study was to characterize the barriers and facilitators influencing individuals to undergo metabolic bariatric surgery tourism, in order to better understand the implications to the National Health Service and other healthcare systems.

METHODS

A systematic literature search, restricted to the English language, was performed to identify relevant studies. All studies were included until December 2022, the last search date. Study quality was assessed with the validated mixed-methods appraisal tool. A Braun and Clarke thematic analysis was undertaken to identify themes and subthemes.

RESULTS

A total of five studies met the inclusion criteria. Identified themes included: availability, accessibility, cost, eligibility, reputation, and stigma; the available evidence was of varying quality.

CONCLUSION

This work identifies a series of subthemes influencing the decision to undertake metabolic bariatric surgery tourism. The results highlight the limited literature available in understanding the complex motivational insights; the scale of the problem in the current healthcare system; cost and long-term outcomes. A National Emergency Bariatric Surgery audit would allow generation of more robust data to explore further the issues of clinical relationships and networks and to guide policy making.

Common postbariatric surgery emergencies for the acute care surgeon: What you need to know

ABSTRACT

The field of bariatric and metabolic surgery has changed rapidly over the past two decades, with an exponential increase in case volumes being performed because of its proven efficacy for morbid obesity and obesity-related comorbidities. Although this increased volume of procedures has been accompanied by significant decrease in postoperative complication rates, there are numerous potential complications after bariatric surgery that may require urgent or emergent surgical evaluation or interventions. Many of these risks extend well beyond the early postoperative period and can present months to years after the index procedure. Acute care surgeons are increasingly covering most or all of the emergency general surgery services at many centers and must be familiar with the numerous bariatric surgical procedures being performed and their individual complication profile to provide optimal care for these frequently challenging patients. This article provides a focused and concise review of the common bariatric procedures being performed, their early and late complication profiles, and a practical guide to the optimal diagnostic evaluations, surgical interventions, and perioperative management options. The author group includes both acute care surgeons and bariatric surgeons with significant experience in the emergency management of the complicated postbariatric surgical patient.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Literature Synthesis and Expert Opinion; Level V.

Bariatric surgery provision in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: retrospective cohort study of a national registry

BACKGROUND

When surgery resumed following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, guidelines recommended the prioritization of patients with greater obesity-related co-morbidities and/or higher body mass index.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to record the effect of the pandemic on total number, patient demographics, and perioperative outcomes of elective bariatric surgery patients in the United Kingdom.

SETTING AND METHODS

The United Kingdom National Bariatric Surgical Registry was used to identify patients who underwent elective bariatric surgery during the pandemic (1 yr from April 1, 2020). Characteristics of this group were compared with those of a pre-pandemic cohort. Primary outcomes were case volume, case mix, and providers. National Health Service cases were analyzed for baseline health status and perioperative outcomes. Fisher exact, χ2, and Student t tests were used as appropriate.

RESULTS

The total number of cases decreased to one third of pre-pandemic volume (8615 to 2930). The decrease in operating volume varied, with 36 hospitals (45%) experiencing a 75%-100% reduction. Cases performed in the National Health Service fell from 74% to 53% (P < .0001). There was no change in baseline body mass index (45.2 ± 8.3 kg/m2 from 45.5 ± 8.3 kg/m2; P = .23) or prevalence of type 2 diabetes (26% from 26%; P = .99). Length of stay (median 2 d) and surgical complication rate (1.4% from 2.0%; relative risk = .71; 95% CI .45-1.12; P = .13) were unchanged.

CONCLUSIONS

In the context of a dramatic reduction in elective bariatric surgery due to the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with more severe co-morbidities were not prioritized for surgery. These findings should inform preparation for future crises.

Access to publicly funded weight management services in England using routine data from primary and secondary care (2007-2020): An observational cohort study

BACKGROUND

Adults living with overweight/obesity are eligible for publicly funded weight management (WM) programmes according to national guidance. People with the most severe and complex obesity are eligible for bariatric surgery. Primary care plays a key role in identifying overweight/obesity and referring to WM interventions. This study aimed to (1) describe the primary care population in England who (a) are referred for WM interventions and (b) undergo bariatric surgery and (2) determine the patient and GP practice characteristics associated with both.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

An observational cohort study was undertaken using routinely collected primary care data in England from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink linked with Hospital Episode Statistics. During the study period (January 2007 to June 2020), 1,811,587 adults met the inclusion criteria of a recording of overweight/obesity in primary care, of which 54.62% were female and 20.10% aged 45 to 54. Only 56,783 (3.13%) were referred to WM, and 3,701 (1.09% of those with severe and complex obesity) underwent bariatric surgery. Multivariable Poisson regression examined the associations of demographic, clinical, and regional characteristics on the likelihood of WM referral and bariatric surgery. Higher body mass index (BMI) and practice region had the strongest associations with both outcomes. People with BMI ≥40 kg/m2 were more than 6 times as likely to be referred for WM (10.05% of individuals) than BMI 25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2 (1.34%) (rate ratio (RR) 6.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) [5.99,6.40], p < 0.001). They were more than 5 times as likely to undergo bariatric surgery (3.98%) than BMI 35.0 to 40.0 kg/m2 with a comorbidity (0.53%) (RR 5.52, 95% CI [5.07,6.02], p < 0.001). Patients from practices in the West Midlands were the most likely to have a WM referral (5.40%) (RR 2.17, 95% CI [2.10,2.24], p < 0.001, compared with the North West, 2.89%), and practices from the East of England least likely (1.04%) (RR 0.43, 95% CI [0.41,0.46], p < 0.001, compared with North West). Patients from practices in London were the most likely to undergo bariatric surgery (2.15%), and practices in the North West the least likely (0.68%) (RR 3.29, 95% CI [2.88,3.76], p < 0.001, London compared with North West). Longer duration since diagnosis with severe and complex obesity (e.g., 1.67% of individuals diagnosed in 2007 versus 0.34% in 2015, RR 0.20, 95% CI [0.12,0.32], p < 0.001), and increasing comorbidities (e.g., 2.26% of individuals with 6+ comorbidities versus 1.39% with none (RR 8.79, 95% CI [7.16,10.79], p < 0.001) were also strongly associated with bariatric surgery. The main limitation is the reliance on overweight/obesity being recorded within primary care records to identify the study population.

CONCLUSIONS

Between 2007 and 2020, a very small percentage of the primary care population eligible for WM referral or bariatric surgery according to national guidance received either. Higher BMI and GP practice region had the strongest associations with both. Regional inequalities may reflect differences in commissioning and provision of WM services across the country. Multi-stakeholder qualitative research is ongoing to understand the barriers to accessing WM services and potential solutions. Together with population-wide prevention strategies, improved access to WM interventions is needed to reduce obesity levels.