Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s Metamor Institute found that extreme obesity does not preclude bariatric surgery, according to a study published Aug. 24 in Obesity.
Here are five things to know:
1. Researchers headed by Vance Albaugh, MD, analyzed 1,262,454 bariatric surgery patients using data from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, or MBSAQIP, from 2015 to 2023.
2. Patients with extreme obesity, defined as a body mass index of 60 kg/m² or higher, made up 5.3% of the eligible sample. Those with a BMI of 70 or above accounted for a steady 1.1% of patients each year of the study period.
3. Compared with patients with a BMI under 40, the extreme obesity group carried a heavier disease burden: 56.7% had hypertension versus 46.9%, and 59.6% had sleep apnea versus 34.6%. Rates of COPD and functional dependence were also higher.
4. Serious surgical complications occurred in 2.6% of patients with a BMI of 70 or above, compared with 0.7% of those under 40, and mortality was 0.35% versus 0.05%. Both differences were statistically significant.
5. Dr. Albaugh and co-authors, including Florina Corpodean and Philip Schauer, concluded that despite the higher complication frequency, absolute event rates remain low and should not contraindicate treatment. The authors recommend evaluating strategies to reduce BMI before surgery in the highest-risk patients.
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