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. 2020 Nov;30(11):4428-4436.
doi: 10.1007/s11695-020-04830-8. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Bariatric Surgery: Results from a Worldwide Survey

Ioannis I Lazaridis  1 , Marko Kraljević  1 , Romano Schneider  1 , Jennifer M Klasen  1 , Dimitrios Schizas  2 , Ralph Peterli  1 , Lilian Kow  3 , Tarik Delko  4 ; Collaborators
Collaborators, Affiliations

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Bariatric Surgery: Results from a Worldwide Survey

Ioannis I Lazaridis et al. Obes Surg. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Background: The ongoing "coronavirus disease 19" (COVID-19) pandemic has had a strong effect on the delivery of surgical care worldwide. Elective surgeries have been canceled or delayed in order to reallocate resources to the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Currently, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on bariatric and metabolic surgical practice remains unclear.

Methods: An internet-based online survey was performed among bariatric surgeons worldwide. The survey was sent to bariatric surgeons via the International Bariatric Club Facebook group and by electronic mail via the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and metabolic disorders (IFSO) secretariat to members of the associated national IFSO societies.

Results: One hundred sixty-nine (n = 169) bariatric surgeons participated in the survey. The majority of the respondents postponed preoperative upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopies, appointments in the outpatient clinic and bariatric operations. Most surgeons performed video calls for follow-up appointments instead of meeting the patients in the outpatient clinics. Laparoscopy was still the preferred treatment for surgical emergencies, but a trend towards conservative treatment of acute appendicitis and acute cholecystitis was shown. Rapid preoperative COVID-19 testing availability was poor; therefore, routine screening of emergency bariatric cases was not widely provided. A wide variance occurred regarding precautions and personal protection equipment among the participants.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic showed a strong impact on bariatric surgical practice regarding surgical and outpatient planning as well as personnel management. Coordinated effort from the national bariatric societies should focus on strict implementation of the current recommendations regarding precaution measures and personal protection equipment. Further studies should evaluate how this impact will evolve in the near future.

Keywords: Bariatric surgery; COVID-19; IFSO; Pandemic; Survey.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest related to this study.

Dr. Schneider reports grants from University Basel, grants from Department of Surgery, University Hospital Basel, grants from Freiwillige akademische Gesellschaft Basel, grants from Stiftung für chirurgische Forschung und Spitalmanagement, and grants from Gebauer Stiftung, outside the submitted work. Dr. Peterli reports grants from Johnson&Johnson Switzerland, outside the submitted work.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
To deal with the issues of the pandemic, have you considered changing your preoperative investigations before performing bariatric surgery? (169 responses)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
How do you consider that the COVID-19 pandemic will affect bariatric surgery in the future? (169 responses)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Do you currently test patients for COVID-19 before performing bariatric surgery? (169 responses)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
What kind of precaution measures do you take? (141 responses)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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