911 Management of complications of Bariatric Surgery at a Regional Specialist Centre

Published Date: 19th June 2025

Publication Authors: O'Halloran. CP, Gupta. C, Santoro. G, Warde. A, Buckley. S, Edon. E, Kumar. S, Macadam. R, Rupasinghe. S, Kaul. A

Introduction
The management of complications following bariatric surgery can be challenging due to the patients’ habitus and the unique complexity of some of the complications. With the explosion of medical tourism, anecdotal evidence suggests that an increase in such complications nationwide. We wanted to evaluate our management of bariatric complications in our centre to assess our outcomes and to plan our service for the future.

Method
Patients referred to the bariatric on-call service from April 1, 2023, to August 1, 2024, were analysed using a prospectively populated database. Data on demographics, location of initial procedure, complications, management, and outcomes were recorded.

Results
90 patients were referred to the service. Most patients had their initial operation in the United Kingdom (59%), 37% had their operation abroad, of which the commonest location was Turkey (32%). Many patients (64%) were treated conservatively with no surgical, radiological or endoscopic intervention. 32 patients needed active intervention of which the commonest procedure was laparoscopic removal of gastric band (35%), followed by endoscopic gastric balloon removal (19%) and laparoscopic/open surgery for internal hernia (19%). The 90-day mortality rate for all 32 interventions were 0. There were 2 deaths noted in patients in the operative group after discharge, but this was not related to the surgical intervention.

Discussion
Patients treated at the regional centre generally experience positive outcomes. However, some patients require immediate management at their presenting hospital due to the urgent nature of their complications or clinical instability. To support these cases, the centre provides 24/7 consultant-led advice and guidance.

 

O'Halloran, C; Gupta, C; Santoro, G; Warde, A; Buckley, S; Edon, E; Kumar, S; Macadm, R; Rupasinghe, S; Kaul, A. (2025). 911 Management of complications of Bariatric Surgery at a Regional Specialist Centre. BJS. 112(Suppl 10), p.znaf128.134. [Online]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjs/znaf128.134 [Accessed 1 August 2025]

 

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