Do patients with higher baseline BMI have improved weight loss with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass versus sleeve gastrectomy?

As sleeve gastrectomy (SG) becomes the most common bariatric procedure, it remains unclear for which patients laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) may be advantageous. Some contend that patients with higher initial body mass index (BMI) achieve better weight loss with LRYGB.This study evaluates weight loss in SG versus LRYGB patients based on preoperative BMI.Community teaching hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.A convenience cohort of 4935 individuals, undergoing bariatric surgery from 2001 to 2015, was studied to examine 5-year postsurgical trends in weight loss stratified by baseline BMI and procedure. Student t tests compared mean weight loss of baseline BMI groups (<45 versus ≥45; <50 versus ≥50; and <55 versus ≥55) and line graphs and plotted 95% confidence intervals of mean weight loss by year were examined to discern differences in percent excess weight loss (%EWL) by procedure type.All patients were more likely to be female (79%) and Caucasian (62.5%). Nearly twice as many patients underwent LRYGB (N = 3236) compared with SG (N = 1699). In patients in the BMI <45, 50, and 55 kg/m2 categories, there was no significant difference in %EWL based on procedure. However, in those patients in the BMI ≥45 and 55 kg/m2 categories, there is significantly higher %EWL in the LRYGB group over SG.In conclusion, patients with lower baseline BMI had improved %EWL regardless of procedure, but those patients with higher baseline BMI who underwent LRYGB did have higher %EWL than those undergoing SG at 2 years follow-up. BMI is one of many key factors when selecting a procedure for an individual patient.