Ambulatory Bariatric Surgery: A Prospective Compared Trial

Aim of the trial: A prospective trial was done to compare the course of patients who had a day-case bariatric surgery, whatever the kind of operation, to patients operated in hospitalization.
Material and Methods: 326 consecutive patients were operated. For each patient were recorded, sex, age, body mass index, comorbidities, previous bariatric surgeries, length of operation, length of hospitalization, pain with visual analogic scale at day 0 evening and day 1morning, the number of rehospitalizations or reoperations, whatever the hospital, and all deviation from previous course according to Clavien classification up to 30th postoperative day. The data of ambulatory group were compared to those of hospitalized group with statistical tests.
Results: 108 patients were entered in ambulatory course which means 32,1% of patients operated during the period. There was no significant difference between the two groups about sex, rehospitalization or reoperation rates. Patients in the ambulatory group were significant younger, had a lower body mass index, a shorter length of operation, a visual analogic scale higher at day 0 evening and day 1 morning (p < 0,02).
Conclusion: Sleeve gastrectomy’s and Roux en Y gastric bypass are feasible in day-case surgery and induce no more rehospitalizations and reoperations than for patients hospitalized. A follow up outside of the hospital is necessary.