Drug-Related Problems in Bariatric Surgery: a Retrospective Study

Background With the rapid increase of bariatric surgery worldwide, drug-related problems (DRPs) in this area seem to be rising. This study aimed to investigate the incidence and characteristics of DRPs in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Methods Medication records for patients who underwent bariatric surgery were analysed retrospectively between January 2019 and December 2020 in our center. We classified and analysed DRPs using the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe classification (PCNE version 9.0). Rating severity of these DRPs was based on the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) classification. Continuous variables were analysed by Student's t-test, and categorical variables were compared using the chi-square test. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the numbers of DRPs. Results Totally 347 patients were reviewed, and 760 DRPs were identified with an average of 2.19 +/- 1.36 DRPs for each patient. The most common DRPs were problems related to perioperative antibiotics accounting for 29.47%, 25.62% and 14.34% for hepatoprotection and proton-pump inhibitors (PPI), respectively. The leading causes of DRPs were inappropriate medications for antibiotics, hepatoprotection, ancillary drugs and PPI. 89.34% of the DRPs were rated at severity categories B-D (which means potential adverse reactions that may occur), whereas 10.66% were rated as categories E-H. There were relations between DRPs and older (32.22 +/- 9.29 vs. 29.11 +/- 6.53 years), fewer concomitant surgeries (1.89 +/- 1.25 vs. 2.99 +/- 1.31), longer postoperative fasting time (PFT) (1.18 +/- 0.55 vs. 1.06 +/- 0.24 days) and more comorbidities (6.71 +/- 2.63 vs. 5.23 +/- 1.46) (P < 0.05). Conclusions The incidence of DRPs in the perioperative period of bariatric surgery is high. Patients with fewer concomitant surgeries and longer PFT are prone to DRPs. It is necessary for clinical pharmacists to participate in medication monitoring and reviewing to facilitate enhanced recovery after bariatric surgery.