Abstract

Objective: Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is an established bariatric surgical procedure in the United States yet patient attributes that influence outcomes following SG remain inconclusive. Therefore, identifying baseline variables that predict weight loss (WL) success at one and two-year follow-up was investigated.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of the medical records of 533 patients who underwent SG between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015 was completed. Follow-up included 282 subjects at one-year and 136 subjects at two-years. Chi-square and independent samples t tests were used to compare successful and suboptimal WL groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine which variables independently predicted a successful WL outcome, defined as >50% excess WL (EWL) at one and two-years.

Results: The overall sample was 23% male and 77% female with a mean age of 44.73 ± 11.9, and mean BMI of 46.9 ± 8.1. The follow-up group (n=304) had a significantly higher baseline BMI than those lost to follow-up (n=229) (47.7 ± 8.2 vs. 45.9 ± 7.8, p=0.01), otherwise the groups were similar. At one-year, BMI (p<0.001) was the only independent predictor of successful WL outcome following SG. At two-years, dyslipidemia (p<0.01) and smoking status (p=0.047) were the only independent predictors of successful WL outcome.

Conclusion: BMI appears to be a significant predictor variable for WL following SG. Whether other important baseline patient attributes influence successful WL following SG in the short-, mid-, and long-term warrant further investigation.

Keywords: Obesity; Bariatric surgery; Sleeve gastrectomy; Outcomes; Predictors; Weight loss