Background: Bariatric surgery has been performed at Oslo University Hospital since 2004. We wished to describe patient characteristics, use of surgical methods and perioperative complications in the period 2004-14.
Material and method: We performed a retrospective analysis of prospective data collected for the period 2004-14. Complications include events during hospitalisation and up to 6-8 weeks postoperatively.
Results: Altogether 2 127 patients underwent surgery for morbid obesity, whereof 1 468 were women. Average age and body mass index were 42 years (range 17-73) and 46.2 kg/m2 (range 26-92). A total of 512 had a body mass index ≥ 50 kg/m2. Obesity-related sequelae were registered in 1 196 patients before surgery. Gastric bypass was performed in 1 966 patients, gastric sleeve resection in 122 (17 of these later underwent duodenal switch) and duodenal switch in 56 patients. All patients were operated laparoscopically, and four procedures were converted to laparotomy. Median hospitalisation time was two days (range 1-78). Complications were registered in 209 patients, 75 of whom had severe complications (grade ≥ IIIb on the Clavien-Dindo classification system). Patients with a body mass index ≥ 50 kg/m2 had a higher incidence of complications (12.5 % vs 8.9 %). Altogether 67 patients underwent further surgery. Six patients died, two of whom more than 30 days after the operation. The incidence of complications was reduced during the period.
Interpretation: Bariatric surgery may be performed laparoscopically with a low incidence of complications and short hospitalisation times. A large proportion of the patients who underwent surgery had obesity-related sequalae.