Bariatric Surgery Is Safe For Patients Age 60 Years or Older
Bariatric surgery is safe and effective among patients age 60 years or older, according to a recent study. Surgery results in these patients are comparable to those seen in younger adults who receive the procedure.1
Findings from the study were presented at the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Obesity Week 2017, which is taking place from October 29 to November 2, 2017, in Washington, DC.
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In 2015 and 2016, the rate of obesity was 41% among older adults, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Metabolic and bariatric surgeries have been shown to be the most effective and long-lasting treatment options for severe obesity and various related conditions, and are associated with significant weight loss.
For their study, Anthony T. Petrick, MD, of the Geisinger Health System, and colleagues evaluated 367 patients age 60 years or older who had undergone either sleeve gastrectomy (n = 32), or open (n = 115) or laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (n = 190) between 2007 and 2017. Patients’ average pre-surgery body mass index (BMI) was 46.9 kg/m2, and 62.6% of patients had diabetes. Additionally, patients had been taking more than 8 medications for various conditions.
Results indicated that, on average, patients had lost more than 60% of excess weight at nearly 3 years post-surgery. Furthermore, 45.8% of patients no longer had diabetes. At 1-year follow-up, patients were taking 3.1 fewer daily prescription medications.
The rate of 90-day mortality in this cohort was 0.3%. Major complications had occurred in 5.6% of patients, and minor complications had occurred in 16% of patients. The researchers noted that these rates were comparable to those of younger patients who had undergone bariatric surgery.
“Our study shows that both laparoscopic gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy can be as safe and as beneficial for older adults as it is for younger patients,” said Dr Petrick.2
—Christina Vogt
Reference:
1. May D, Vogels ED, Woemle M, et al. Long-term analysis bariatric surgery is safe and effective in the elderly (A521). Paper presented at: ASMBS Obesity Week 2017; October 29-November 2, 2017; Washington, DC. http://www.soard.org/article/S1550-7289(17)30543-9/abstract.