Laparoscopic bariatric surgery program in the University Clinic of Navarre - Hospital Complex of Navarre: results after 1-year follow-up

Background. The prevalence of obesity in Spain in recent years has shown an alarming increase. The repeated failure of balanced food patterns, physical activity, nutritional education and pharmacotherapy have led to the need to use bariatric surgery both to maintain long-term weight loss, and for the resolution of associated comorbidities. This article analyzes the initial results of the implementation of the laparoscopic bariatric surgery program in Navarre, obtained in a group of obese patients with surgical indication and operated on by means of the laparoscopic gastric bypass. Methods. From January 2010 until December 2011, 47 gastric bypasses were performed laparoscopically in the University Clinic of Navarre, all of them from the autonomous community of Navarre and previously and subsequently evaluated in the Hospital Complex of Navarre. The first 19 cases amongst them were selected for this work, as they presented at least one year of follow-up. Results. The percentage of excess weight lost was 65.47%, with a 31.68% reduction of total weight. The figures for glucose, uric acid, arterial tension and lipid metabolism one year after the intervention presented a very significant progressive fall. No significant medical or surgical complications were presented. Conclusions. The laparoscopic gastric bypass is an efficient technique for the long-term treatment of morbid obesity, with a scant number of complications, excellent weight loss and curing or improvement of the associated comorbidities in these patients.