Safety of gastric bypass with same-day discharge: a propensity score-matched analysis of the Dutch Audit for treatment of Obesity.

BACKGROUND

Bariatric surgery with same-day discharge (SDD) is becoming increasingly common. Nevertheless, there is limited data available comparing gastric bypass patients with SDD to those with overnight hospitalization.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term outcomes of gastric bypass with SDD compared to overnight hospitalization in The Netherlands.

SETTING

Retrospective database study with the use of the Dutch national registry.

METHODS

Patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2022 were included and propensity score matching was performed to compare SDD with patients discharged on postoperative days (POD) 1-4. The primary outcome was the occurrence of severe complications within 30 days postoperative.

RESULTS

A total of 775 SDD patients were matched with 1550 patients discharged on POD 1-4. The occurrence of severe complications was .9% in both groups (P = 1.000), and there were no significant differences in reoperations or mortality. A significant difference was observed in the readmission rate, with 3.9% in the SDD group compared to 1.6% in the other group (P = .001). A proportionally small, yet statistically significant difference favored the control group regarding anastomotic leakages (.6% versus 0%, P = .004) and unspecified surgical complications (1.4% versus .5%, P = .028).

CONCLUSION

Gastric bypass with SDD is safe, with no increased risk of short-term severe complications, reoperations, or mortality. However, SDD is associated with a higher 30-day readmission rate compared to patients who stay overnight in the hospital after surgery.