Resectional gastric bypass in the bariatric surgery practice of a small community hospital

Abstract Purpose A bariatric surgery program was initiated at Winn Army Community Hospital using the resectional gastric bypass. This program includes a clinical pathway and obesity support group. We evaluated the bariatric surgery results utilizing the resectional gastric bypass. Methods We report the early results on 27 patients with mean age of 34 years (22 to 53), mean weight of 308 lb (245 to 438), and mean body mass index of 50.4 (40 to 61) over 26 months. Patient comorbidities included obesity arthropathy (44%), hypertension (33%), diabetes (22%), and obesity hypoventilation syndrome (7%). Patients were prospectively followed for complications, weight loss, and comorbidities. Results Early minor complication rate was 37%. One early death occurred in a patient with severe comorbidities. Late complications included one case of retained sponge and unsatisfactory weight loss. The mean weight loss is 89.2 pounds (24-175) at ten months mean follow up. This correlates to a mean BMI of 33.5 (22.6-51.5). Patient comorbidities have diminished by 75% for obesity arthropathy, 66% for hypertension, 83% for diabetes, and 100% for obesity hypoventilation syndrome. Conclusions A military community hospital can develop a successful bariatric surgery program. Appropriately selected patients can expect a significant decrease in body mass index and resolution of comorbidities.