Bariatric Surgery in Cirrhotic Patients: Is It Safe?

INTRODUCTION: Ten percent of cirrhotic patients are known to have a high risk of postoperative complications. Ninety percent of bariatric patients suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and 50% of them may develop non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) which can progress to cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to assess whether the presence of cirrhosis at the time of bariatric surgery is associated with an increased rate and severity of short- and long-term cirrhotic complications. METHODS: A cohort of 110 bariatric patients, between May 2003 and February 2018, who had undergone liver biopsy at the time of bariatric surgery were reassessed for histological outcome and divided into two groups based on the presence (C, n = 26) or absence (NC, n = 84) of cirrhosis. The NC group consisted of NASH (n = 49), NAFLD (n = 24) and non-NAFLD (n = 11) liver histology. Medical notes were retrospectively assessed for patient characteristics, development of 30-day postoperative complications, severity of complications (Clavien-Dindo (CD) classification) and length of stay. The C group was further assessed for long-term cirrhosis-related outcomes. RESULTS: The C group was older (52 years vs 43 years) and had lower BMI (46 kg/m2 vs 52 kg/m2) and weight (126 kg vs 145 kg) compared to the NC group (p < 0.05). The C group had significantly higher overall complication rate (10/26 vs 14/84, p < 0.05) and severity of complications (CD class ≥ III, 12% vs 7%, p < 0.05) when compared to the NC group. The length of stay was similar between the two groups (5 days vs 4 days). The C group had significant improvement in model end-stage liver disease scores (7 vs 6, p < 0.01) with median follow-up of 4.5 years (range 2-11 years). There were no long-term cirrhosis-related complications or mortality in our studied cohort (0/26). CONCLUSION: Bariatric surgery in cirrhotic patients has a higher risk of immediate postoperative complications. Long-term cirrhosis-related complications or mortality was not increased in this small cohort. Preoperative identification of liver cirrhosis may be useful for risk stratification, optimisation and informed consent. Bariatric surgery in well-compensated cirrhotic patients may be used as an aid to improve long-term outcome.

Endobarrier as a Pre Bariatric Surgical Intervention in High-Risk Patients: a Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity surgery mortality risk scoring system (OS-MRS) classifies patients into high, intermediate and low risk, based on age, body mass index, sex and other comorbidities such as hypertension and history of pulmonary embolism. High-risk patients not only have a higher mortality but are more likely to develop post-operative complications necessitating intervention or prolonged hospital stay following bariatric surgery. Endoscopically placed duodenal-jejunal bypass sleeve (Endobarrier) has been designed to achieve weight loss and improve glycaemic control in morbidly obese patients with clinically proven effectiveness. The aim of this study was to assess if pre-operative insertion of endobarrier in high-risk patients can decrease morbidity and length of stay after bariatric surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2012 and 2014, a cohort of 11 high-risk patients had an Endobarrier inserted (E&BS group) for 1 year prior to definitive bariatric surgery. These patients were compared against a similar group undergoing primary bariatric surgery (PBS group) during same duration. The two groups were matched for age, gender, body mass index, comorbidities, surgical procedure and OS-MRS using propensity score matching. Outcome measures included operative time, morbidity, length of stay, intensive therapy unit (ITU) stay, readmission rate, percentage excess weight loss (%EWL) and percentage total weight loss (%TWL). RESULTS: Patient characteristics and OS-MRS were similar in both groups (match tolerance 0.1). There was no significant difference in total length of stay, readmission rate, %EWL and %TWL. Operative time, ITU stay, post-operative complications and severity of complications were significantly less in the E&BS group (p < 0.05) with significant likelihood of planned ITU admissions in the PBS group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Endobarrier could be considered as a pre bariatric surgical intervention in high-risk patients. It may result in improved post-operative outcomes in high-risk bariatric patients.