Early outcomes of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in a multiethnic Asian cohort

Background: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has become a popular bariatric operation worldwide.

Objectives: To report early outcomes of patients with LSG performed.

Settings: University hospital and a restructured hospital, Singapore.

Methods: Data of patients who underwent LSG as a primary procedure from 2008 to 2013 were analyzed for change in body mass index (BMI), percentage of weight loss (%WL), and percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL). The remission of obesity-related co-morbidities after LSG was analyzed. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine predictive factors for perioperative complication and suboptimal EWL.

Results: Two hundred operations were performed on a cohort that consisted of 74 Chinese, 57 Malay, and 52 Indian patients and 17 patients from other ethnic groups. Mean preoperative weight and BMI were 118.1±26.8 kg and 43.0±8.0 kg/m(2), respectively. Mean follow-up duration was 16.7±9.4 months. At 6, 12, 24 and 36 months, the percentage of patients followed-up were 79.5%, 75.7%, 50.0%, and 50.0%, and the mean %EWL were 51.2%, 61.2%, 60.9%, and 51.0%, respectively. Postoperative complications occurred in 9 patients (4.5%), 5 of whom (2.5%) required reoperation. There was no mortality in our series. Remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was significantly associated with achieving>50% EWL (P = .009). Patients>50 years of age and higher preoperative BMI were significant factors for failure to achieve>50% EWL at 1 year after LSG.

Conclusion: LSG is a safe and effective operation for achieving significant weight loss and improvement of co-morbidities in multiethnic Asian population. Adequate EWL is important to achieve remission of T2DM. Older patients and higher preoperative BMI are predictive factors for suboptimal EWL.