Hindawi, ISRN Obesity, (2013), p. 1-8, 2013
DOI: 10.1155/2013/296597
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Background. There is limited literature assessing the outcomes of bariatric surgery in a publically funded, North American, multidisciplinary bariatric program. Our objective was to assess outcomes of roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) in a publically funded bariatric program through a retrospective review of patient records.Methods. 293 patients spent a median of 13 months attending a multidisciplinary obesity clinic prior to undergoing laparoscopic RYGB surgery. The hospital was a Canadian, publically funded, level 2 trauma center with university teaching services.Results. 79% of the patients were female and the average BMI at first visit to clinic was 55.3 kg/m2. The average decrease in BMI was19.2±0.9 kg/m2. This was an average absolute weight loss of 56.1 kg or 35.5% of initial weight. The average excess weight loss was63.4±20.4%. Improvement or resolution of obesity related comorbidities occurred in 65.9% of type 2 diabetics and in 50% of hypertensive patients.Conclusion. Despite this being an unconventional setting of a publically funded program in a large Canadian teaching hospital, early outcomes following RYGB were appropriate in severely obese patients. Ongoing work will identify areas of improvement for enhanced efficiencies within this system.