Background

With the continuing waves of the COVID pandemic, the relationship between bariatric surgery and the COVID pandemic should continue to be assessed. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of COVID on post operative bariatric patient outcomes and complications.

Methods

Patients undergoing elective gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy between April 2019 and October 2021 were reviewed retrospectively. Admissions after March 1, 2020 were defined as COVID admissions. Patient characteristics and outcomes were evaluated. Univariate analyses were performed comparing patients before and during COVID using two-tailed t-tests, Mann-Whitney tests, and Fisher’s exact tests as appropriate. Factors associated with readmission were analyzed using simple logistic regression and multiple logistic regression with calculation of odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals.

Results

A total of 213 patients were identified with 65 having surgery before the COVID era and 145 during the COVID era. By univariate analysis, there was no difference in preoperative weight, BMI or comorbidities between patients before and during the COVID era. Patients during the COVID era had a significantly shorter LOS, however there were no differences in readmission rates, days to readmission, complications or reoperation. LOS was associated with overall readmission by simple logistic regression (OR 1.51), but not multiple logistic regression. Gastric bypass was the only factor associated with overall and 30-day readmission by multiple logistic regression (OR 0.028; OR 0.0362).

Conclusions

Patients who underwent elective bariatric surgery during COVID-19 had decreased LOS, but no differences in readmission rates, days to readmission, complications or reoperation.