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. 2022 Jun;32(6):1896-1901.
doi: 10.1007/s11695-022-05975-4. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Unplanned Hospital Admissions for Infection

Tim Cundy  1   2 , Greg D Gamble  3 , Elaine Yi  4 , Nicholas Evennett  4 , Grant Beban  4
Affiliations

Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Unplanned Hospital Admissions for Infection

Tim Cundy et al. Obes Surg. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: Both obesity and type 2 diabetes are associated with an increased risk of skin and soft tissue (SSTI), urinary tract, and lower respiratory tract infections but it is not clear whether the incidence of such infections is reduced after bariatric surgery.

Materials and methods: In people accepted onto our publicly funded bariatric program, we recorded unplanned admissions to public hospitals over a median follow-up of 4.5 years in those successfully undergoing surgery and in those who withdrew from the program. Rates of admission for the composite outcome (SSTI, urinary tract, or lower respiratory infection) were compared.

Results: Of 774 people accepted onto the program, 49% underwent surgery. Infections accounted for 27% of unplanned admissions in those not completing surgery and 13% of those who underwent surgery (p < 0.001). The rate of admission was 60% lower in people who underwent surgery than those who did not: 4.3 vs 12.2 per 100 patient-years (P < 0.002), a difference maintained across 8 years' follow-up. The impact of surgery was independent of enrolment age, BMI, or diabetes and smoking status. Of the three types of infection in the composite outcome, SSTI were the most prevalent and showed the greatest reduction (p < 0.0001). The median day stay for infection was 0.5 day less in those who underwent surgery (p < 0.01).

Conclusions: Hospitalization for these three infectious diseases in people undergoing bariatric surgery was lower than that in people enrolled in the bariatric program but not completing surgery. The effect was greatest for SSTI, and sustained to at least 8 years.

Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Hospital admissions; Skin and soft tissue infection; Upper respiratory; Urinary tract infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Sequential change in body mass index (BMI) in the those undergoing bariatric surgery (solid line) and those who did not complete surgery (dotted line). Data are given as mean with standard deviation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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