The Effects of Preoperative Glycaemic Control (HbA1c) on Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Outcomes: Data from a Tertiary-Referral Bariatric Centre in the UK.

BACKGROUND: Current recommendations advocate the achievement of an optimal glucose control (HbA1c < 69 mmol/mol) prior to elective surgery to reduce risks of peri- and post-operative complications, but the relevance for this glycaemic threshold prior to Bariatric Metabolic Surgery (BMS) following a specialist weight management programme remains unclear. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective cohort study of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who underwent BMS over a 6-year period (2016-2022) at a regional tertiary referral following completion of a specialist multidisciplinary weight management. Post-operative outcomes of interest included 30-day mortality, readmission rates, need for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) care and hospital length of stay (LOS) and were assessed according to HbA1c cut-off values of < 69 (N = 202) and > 69 mmol/mol (N = 67) as well as a continuous variable. RESULTS: A total of 269 patients with T2D were included in this study. Patients underwent primary Roux en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB, n = 136), Sleeve Gastrectomy (SG, n = 124), insertion of gastric band (n = 4) or one-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB, n = 4). No significant differences in the rates of complications were observed between the two groups of pre-operative HbA1c cut-off values. No HbA1c threshold was observed for glycaemic control that would affect the peri- and post-operative complications following BMS. CONCLUSIONS: We observed no associations between pre-operative HbA1C values and the risk of peri- and post-operative complications. In the context of a specialist multidisciplinary weight management programme, optimising pre-operative HbA1C to a recommended target value prior to BMS may not translate into reduced risks of peri- and post-operative complications.

Malnutrition Following One-Anastomosis Gastric Bypass: a Systematic Review.

Severe malnutrition following one-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) remains a concern. Fifty studies involving 49,991 patients were included in this review. In-hospital treatment for severe malnutrition was needed for 0.9% (n = 446) of patients. Biliopancreatic limb (BPL) length was 150 cm in five (1.1%) patients, > 150 cm in 151 (33.9%), and not reported in 290 (65%) patients. OAGB was revised to normal anatomy in 126 (28.2%), sleeve gastrectomy in 46 (10.3%), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in 41 (9.2%), and shortening of BPL length in 17 (3.8%) patients. One hundred fifty-one (33.8%) patients responded to treatment; ten (2.2%) did not respond and was not reported in 285 (63.9%) patients. Eight (0.02%) deaths were reported. Standardisation of the OAGB technique along with robust prospective data collection is required to understand this serious problem.

Peri- and Postoperative Outcomes for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Patients after Bariatric Surgery-a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is prevalent among patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Previous studies have reported a higher risk of complications, ICU admission and longer length of stay in patients with OSA following surgery. However, clinical outcomes following bariatric surgery are unclear. The hypothesis is that patients with OSA will have an increased risk of these outcome measures after bariatric surgery. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to answer the research question. Searches for bariatric surgery and obstructive sleep apnoea were performed using PubMed and Ovid Medline. Studies which compared OSA and non-OSA patients undergoing bariatric surgery and used outcome measures that included length of stay, risk of complications, 30-day readmission and need for ICU admission were selected for the systematic review. Comparable datasets from these studies were used for the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Patients with OSA are at greater risk of complications after bariatric surgery (RR = 1.23 [CI: 1.01, 1.5], P = 0.04), driven mostly by an increased risk of cardiac complications (RR = 2.44 [CI: 1.26, 4.76], P = 0.009). There were no significant differences between the OSA and non-OSA cohorts in the other outcome variables (respiratory complications, length of stay, 30-day readmission and need for ICU admission). CONCLUSION: Following bariatric surgery, patients with OSA must be managed carefully due to the increased risk of cardiac complications. However, patients with OSA are not more likely to require a longer length of stay or readmission.