Outcomes of adolescents compared with young adults after bariatric surgery: an analysis of 227,671 patients using the MBSAQIP data registry.

Background: Obesity in the United States is increasingly prevalent in adolescents. Metabolic and bariatric surgery is offered at select sites to adolescents (<18 yr). Controversy exists regarding the safety of performing metabolic and bariatric surgery in adolescents.
Objectives: The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program registry was employed to compare outcomes of adolescents with adults (18-40 yr) undergoing sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).
Setting: Academic Teaching Institution.
Methods: The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program Participant User Files were reviewed for patients undergoing SG or RYGB (2015-2018). Patients were stratified by age and outcomes for adolescents versus adults compared. A bivariate analysis was performed on propensity-matched data.
Results: After exclusion criteria were applied, 227,671 patients <40 years remained, of whom 1005 were adolescents. For those undergoing RYGB (13.8% adolescents, 25.3% adults), demographic characteristics were similar. Adolescent SG patients were more likely to be male and Hispanic, but less likely to be smokers or have preoperative co-morbidities. There were no differences in infection rates, mortality, major complications, reoperation, readmission, or other interventions for RYGB and SG groups. For both adult SG and adolescent SG, patients' operative times were less than adult and adolescent RYGB, respectively. However, operative times were shorter for adolescent RYGB versus adult RYGB patients, yet longer for adolescent SG patients versus adult SG patients.
Conclusions: Metabolic and bariatric surgery is as safe for adolescents undergoing an SG or RYGB as adults. Currently, SG is more commonly performed in adolescents than RYGB, and adolescent SG patients have similar outcomes and shorter operating room times compared with adolescent RYGB patients.
(Copyright © 2020 American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)