Present trends in bariatric surgery in Poland

INTRODUCTION: As obesity has become a major health problem in Poland and bariatric procedures are the best way of treatment, an increasing trend has been observed in Polish bariatric surgery for the last decade. AIM: Our purpose was to provide an updated overview of the bariatric surgical procedures performed in Polish institutions in comparison to the situation in Europe as well as to analyze the trends in Polish bariatric surgery over the last decades. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A questionnaire about the number and type of bariatric procedures performed in 2016 was sent to all Polish surgical departments. Two hundred and sixty surgical departments returned the questionnaires. RESULTS: Twenty-seven departments reported having performed bariatric operative or endoscopic procedures in 2016. The total number of procedures reported was 1958, the most popular being the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). More than 99% of procedures were performed using laparoscopic techniques. The most common operations were: LSG (64.6%, n = 1032) and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) (18.2%; n = 291), followed by one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) (8.3%; n = 132) and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) (7.3%; n = 117). CONCLUSIONS: Registers of bariatric procedures provide information that helps in planning treatment and predicting possible complications. Adequate reporting of bariatric procedures is necessary to present the importance of the high incidence of obesity and the importance of its treatment. To collect reliable data, a national Polish bariatric surgery registry should be created.