Obesity surgery in the Philippines: experience in a private tertiary care hospital for years 2002 to 2004

Information on experience in bariatric surgery in the Asia-Pacific region is minimal: hence the need for more reports from this area. The procedures of bariatric surgery and outcome as part of a weight management program in a tertiary care private hospital in the Philippines is reported from years 2002 to 2004. 50 patients were included, of which 60% underwent laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) and 40% Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP). There were more females than males (64% vs 36%) with the mean age 38 +/- 13.1 years. Initial mean BMI was 46.2 kg/m(2), which decreased to 27.0 kg/m(2) in 1 year. Initial mean weight was 126.7 +/- 25.4 kg, of which the 1 year weight loss was 32.3 kg for the morbidly obese and 58.0 kg for the super obese. %EWL at 1 year was 30.2%. There was greater weight loss with RYGBP compared to LAGB at 1 year (43.5 kg vs 30.2 kg). There was no mortality, and early complications were: wound infection (2/50 or 4%), and 1/50 or 2% each for pneumonia, dehydration, gastritis, and leakage. Late complications were: band slippage (2/20 or 10%), stomal stenosis (1/20 or 5%), and ventral hernia (1/5 or 20%). Bariatric surgery is safe with a low complication rate and the outcome was similar to the reported data from Asia and the western world.