Association between COVID-19 diagnosis and postoperative outcomes in sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: A national cohort study

Background: We seek to determine the association between COVID-19 diagnosis and postoperative outcomes following bariatric surgery. Methods: Using the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation Quality Improvement Project (MBSAQIP) database, patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass without a COVID-19 diagnosis were 2:1 propensity-score matched to those with COVID-19 infection pre or postoperatively. Results: 1369 (0.74 %) and 1331 (0.72 %) patients had a COVID-19 diagnosis within 14 days prior to or 30 days after their operation, respectively. Patients with preoperative COVID-19 infection had equivalent outcomes to COVID-19 negative patients (all p > 0.05). Postoperative COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with worse outcomes including increased risk of anastomotic/staple line leak (1.1 % vs 0.1 %, p < 0.001), postoperative pneumonia (2.9 % vs 0.1 %, p < 0.001), and 30-day reoperation (2.1 % vs 0.9 %, p 1 / 4 0.002). Conclusions: Postoperative diagnosis of COVID-19 after bariatric surgery is associated with worse outcomes; however, it is safe to perform these procedures on patients recently convalesced from COVID-19 infection.