Three-year Weight Outcomes from a Bariatric Surgery Registry in a Large Integrated Healthcare System

Background: A registry was created for patients having procedures for weight loss from 2004 to the present time at a large integrated healthcare system. The objective of this study was to compare findings to the literature and national quality monitoring databases and present 3-year weight loss outcomes.

Methods: Patients are passively enrolled in the registry with the following characteristics: a bariatric procedure for weight loss after January 1, 2004 and actively enrolled in the health plan at the time of surgery.

Results: Compared to national surgical quality databases, the registry (n = 20,296) has a similar proportion of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB; 58%), more vertical sleeve gastrectomy (SG; 40%), fewer banding (2%) procedures, more Hispanic patients (35%), and higher rates of 1 year follow-up (78%). RYGB patients lost more weight at every time point up to 3 years after surgery compared with SG patients (P<.001). Non-Hispanic white RYGB patients had a higher percent excess weight loss than non-Hispanic black (P<.001) and Hispanic (P<.001) RYGB patients. There were no differences between SG racial/ethnic groups in percent excess weight loss throughout the 3-year follow-up period.

Conclusion: We are one of the first groups to publish comparison weight outcomes for RYGB and SG in a diverse patient population, showing that the responses to RYGB and not SG vary by race/ethnicity.