Frequency of short- vs long-term reporting of bariatric surgery outcomes

Oochit, K. K., Shahwan, S., Hughes, J. and Kourounis, G. (2023) Frequency of short- vs long-term reporting of bariatric surgery outcomes. Obesity Surgery, 33(1), pp. 219-223. (doi: 10.1007/s11695-022-06360-x) (PMID:36418771) (PMCID:PMC9834095)

Abstract

Background and Aims: Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for obesity. Though both short- and long-term outcomes have been reported, most of the published literature reports on short-term outcomes. Identification of post-operative weight regain and re-emergence of comorbidities requires medium- and long-term follow-up. We aimed to identify the distribution of follow-up times within the literature. Methods: We screened through 1807 articles from 9 PubMed Indexed bariatric surgery journals published between January to June of 2015 and 2021 and selected articles reporting weight loss as a main outcome. Follow-up intervals were defined as per American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) guidelines. Results: Fifty-three and sixty-three articles were identified in 2015 and 2021 respectively. Reported follow-up lengths in 2015 were 60% short-, 26% medium-, and 14% long-term; while in 2021, there were 65% short-, 10% medium-, and 25% long-term articles. Of the articles reporting long-term outcomes in 2015 and 2021, 48%, and 70% of the included patients respectively had > 5 years follow-up. Conclusion: Though reporting of long-term outcomes increased, most published outcomes remain short-term. The UK National Bariatric Surgery Registry is helping to mitigate this. An increased effort and emphasis on reporting long-term outcomes is needed.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Kourounis, Dr Georgios
• Authors: Oochit, K. K., Shahwan, S., Hughes, J., and Kourounis, G.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Journal Name: Obesity Surgery
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 0960-8923
• ISSN (Online): 1708-0428
• Published Online: 24 November 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Obesity Surgery 33(1): 219-223
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License