Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2021 Dec;16(12):e12832.
doi: 10.1111/ijpo.12832. Epub 2021 Jul 8.

30-Day morbidity and mortality of bariatric metabolic surgery in adolescence during the COVID-19 pandemic - The GENEVA study

Rishi Singhal  1   2 , Tom Wiggins  1 , Jonathan Super  1 , Aayed Alqahtani  3 , Evan P Nadler  4 , Christian Ludwig  5 , Abd Tahrani  5   6   7 , Kamal Mahawar  8 ; GENEVA Collaborative
Collaborators, Affiliations
Observational Study

30-Day morbidity and mortality of bariatric metabolic surgery in adolescence during the COVID-19 pandemic - The GENEVA study

Rishi Singhal et al. Pediatr Obes. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is an effective treatment for adolescents with severe obesity.

Objectives: This study examined the safety of MBS in adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: This was a global, multicentre and observational cohort study of MBS performed between May 01, 2020, and October 10,2020, in 68 centres from 24 countries. Data collection included in-hospital and 30-day COVID-19 and surgery-specific morbidity/mortality.

Results: One hundred and seventy adolescent patients (mean age: 17.75 ± 1.30 years), mostly females (n = 122, 71.8%), underwent MBS during the study period. The mean pre-operative weight and body mass index were 122.16 ± 15.92 kg and 43.7 ± 7.11 kg/m2 , respectively. Although majority of patients had pre-operative testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (n = 146; 85.9%), only 42.4% (n = 72) of the patients were asked to self-isolate pre-operatively. Two patients developed symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection post-operatively (1.2%). The overall complication rate was 5.3% (n = 9). There was no mortality in this cohort.

Conclusions: MBS in adolescents with obesity is safe during the COVID-19 pandemic when performed within the context of local precautionary procedures (such as pre-operative testing). The 30-day morbidity rates were similar to those reported pre-pandemic. These data will help facilitate the safe re-introduction of MBS services for this group of patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; bariatric surgery; pandemic.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Olbers T, Beamish AJ, Gronowitz E, et al. Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in adolescents with severe obesity (AMOS): a prospective, 5-year, Swedish nationwide study. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2017;5(3):174-183.
    1. Inge TH, Jenkins TM, Xanthakos SA, et al. Long-term outcomes of bariatric surgery in adolescents with severe obesity (FABS-5+): a prospective follow-up analysis. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2017;5(3):165-173.
    1. Inge TH, Courcoulas AP, Jenkins TM, et al. Five-year outcomes of gastric bypass in adolescents as compared with adults. N Engl J Med. 2019 May;380(22):2136-2145.
    1. Alqahtani A, Alamri H, Elahmedi M, Mohammed R. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in adult and pediatric obese patients: a comparative study. Surg Endosc. 2012;26(11):3094-3100.
    1. Speer AL, Parekh J, Qureshi FG, Nadler EP. Thirty-day outcomes for children and adolescents undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy at a free-standing children's hospital. Clin Obes. 2017;7(2):86-91.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources