Five Years of MBSAQIP Data: Characteristics, Outcomes, and Trends for Patients with Super-obesity

Purpose Incidence of super obesity (SO; BMI >= 50 kg/m(2)) is growing rapidly and confers worse metabolic complications than non-SO (BMI 30-50 kg/m(2)). We aim to characterize bariatric surgery patients with SO, their postoperative complications, and treatment trends over the last 5 years in hopes of informing SO-specific treatment protocols. Materials and Methods The MBSAQIP database was analyzed, and two cohorts were compared, those with SO and non-SO. Univariate analysis was performed to determine between-group differences. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine if SO was independently associated with serious complications or mortality. Results We evaluated 751,952 patients with 173,110 (23.0%) having SO. Patients with SO were younger (42.2 +/- 11.8 SO vs 45.1 +/- 12.0 years non-SO, p < 0.001) and less likely to be female (74.8% vs 81.1%, p < 0.001). While comorbidities seem to be decreasing overall in bariatric surgery patients, those with SO have worse functional capacity and more endocrine, pulmonary, and vascular comorbidities. Patients with SO also have worse 30-day postoperative complications, and SO was independently associated with severe complications (OR 1.08; CI 1.05-1.11, p < 0.001) and mortality (OR 2.49; CI 2.12-2.92, p < 0.001) Conclusions Patients with SO have significantly increased preoperative comorbidities resulting in worse postoperative outcomes. SO remains an independent risk factor for serious complications and the greatest independent risk factor for 30-day postoperative mortality. Considering the expected increase in patients with SO, substantial work is required to optimize bariatric surgery strategies specific to these patients.

Automated summary

The study analyzed data from the MBSAQIP database and compared bariatric surgery patients with super obesity (SO) to those without. Patients with super obesity had more preoperative comorbidities and experienced worse postoperative outcomes, with higher complication rates and mortality. Given the expected increase in patients with super obesity, there is a need for optimized bariatric surgery strategies specifically tailored to this population.