Are Geographical Health Accessibility and Socioeconomic Deprivation Associated with Outcomes Following Bariatric Surgery? A Retrospective Study in a High-Volume Referral Bariatric Surgical Center

Purpose Few studies have evaluated the association between non-clinical determinants (socioeconomic status and geographic accessibility to healthcare) and the outcomes of bariatric surgery, with conflicting results. This study aimed to evaluate this association. Methods The medical records of 1599 consecutive patients who underwent either laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy between June 2005 and December 2017 were retrieved. All relevant data, including patient characteristics, biometric values before and after surgery, related medical problems, surgical history, medications, and habitus, for each patient were prospectively collected in a database. Logistic regressions were used to assess the influence of non-clinical determinants on surgical indications and complications. Multilevel linear or logistic regression was used to evaluate the influence of non-clinical determinants on long-term %TWL and the probability to achieve adequate weight loss (defined as a %TWL > 20% at 12 months). Results Analysis of the 1599 medical records revealed that most geographically isolated patients were more likely to have undergone laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (odds ratio: 0.97; 95% confidence interval: 0.94 to 0.99; P = 0.018) and had a greater likelihood of adequate weight loss ( β : 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.05; P = 0.021). Conversely, socioeconomic status (measured by the European Deprivation Index) did not affect outcomes following bariatric surgery. Conclusion Geographical health isolation is associated with a higher probability to achieve adequate weight loss after 1 year of follow-up, while neither health isolation nor socioeconomic deprivation is associated with post-operative mortality and morbidity. This results suggests that bariatric surgery is a safe and effective tool for weight loss despite socioeconomic deprivation. Graphical Abstract