Introduction: Morbid obesity is a serious health problem associated to a significant reduction in life expectancy.
Objective: To evaluate the anthropometric and metabolic changes observed in obese patients, 3, 6 and 12 months after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery and the complications associated with the procedure.
Material and methods: Retrospective study that included 128 consecutive obese patients submitted for bariatric surgery at the INCMNSZ (2004-2006).
Results: Their mean age was 38 +/- 10 years, 83% were women with a BMI of 48 +/- 6 Kg/m2. 65% were hypertensives, 55% had hypertriglyceridemia and 34% diabetes. A year after surgery all patients had at least reduced 20% their body weight and the percentage of excess body weight loss was 73%. The prevalence of hypertension, hypertrigliceridemia and diabetes was reduced to 24%, 17% and 12%, respectively (p < 0.001). Four patients died (3%), all of them had a leak of the anastomosis and intra-abdominal abscess. One died because pulmonary embolism, another with a myocardial infarction (after surgical reinterventions) and the other two with sepsis.
Conclusions: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery in morbid obese patients favors significant reductions in body weight and associated co morbidities. This surgery is not free of complications and mortality, reason why it must be done only by surgical and interdisciplinary groups with experience in these procedures.