Comparative Safety of Sleeve Gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y: A Propensity Score Analysis

Background: Use of bariatric surgery has increased dramatically in the USA. However, there are growing concerns regarding the safety outcomes of different bariatric procedures. We aim to compare the safety of sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), which includes hospital readmissions, emergency room (ER) visits, gastrointestinal bleeding, and revisional surgery.

Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted for adults (≥ 18 years) who received SG and RYGB in the USA. We used Truven MarketScan Commercial and Medicare supplemental claims databases from January 1, 2005, to October 1, 2015. To adjust for baseline demographic and clinical characteristics, we used stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting using propensity score. Cox proportional hazard models was used to compare safety outcomes between SG and RYGB after bariatric surgery.

Results: A total of 194,248 patients met inclusion criteria; 79,813 patients (41%) received SG and 114,435 patients (59%) received RYGB. The use of SG was associated with a significantly lower 30-day hospital readmission rate [adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) 0.77; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.74-0.81] and ER visits [aHR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.80-0.83], and decreased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding [aHR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78-0.98] compared to RYGB. However, SG was associated with an increased risk of revisional surgery, compared to RYGB [aHR,1.21; 95% CI, 1.08-1.35].

Conclusions: Among patients receiving bariatric surgery in a real-world setting, SG was associated with lower complication rate but a higher risk of revisional surgery compared to RYGB. Further longitudinal studies are needed to assess long-term findings.