Effectiveness and Safety of Bariatric Surgery in the Public Healthcare System in Brazil: Real-World Evidence from a High-Volume Obesity Surgery Center

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the waiting time, safety, and effectiveness of bariatric surgery based on real-world data. METHODS: This is a noninterventional, noncomparative, and retrospective study with 300 morbidly obese patients who had undergone open Roux-en-Y surgery. RESULTS: The procedure was found to be very safe, with low rates of overall complications (10.7%). Approximately 48.4% of the patients had reached a BMI <30 mg/kg(2) at 12 months after surgery, while 6% were still classified as morbidly obese (BMI >40 mg/kg(2)). Comorbidity resolution was over 90% for all conditions, except for cardiovascular disease, which showed a 40% resolution. The mean number of drugs taken also decreased at 12 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Bariatric surgery was found to be effective in weight reduction and in the resolution of comorbidities.