Background

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in immediate and long-term consequences for patients and healthcare systems worldwide. We examined the impact of the pandemic on adolescents undergoing metabolic bariatric surgery.

Methods

A single-institution retrospective review evaluated adolescents who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy between 2010 and 2023, forming two cohorts: pre-COVID (before March 1, 2019) and COVID (after March 1, 2020). Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare categorical and continuous variables. Absolute and percent weight loss and body mass index (BMI) change at 6- and 12-months post-surgery were compared between cohorts. Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to estimate the association between weight loss, adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, and baseline BMI.

Results

358 patients were included: 238 in the pre-COVID cohort and 109 in the COVID cohort. There were no significant differences in baseline demographics. There were no significant differences between cohorts at 6 months in weight loss (21.6 kg vs 22.5 kg, p=0.43), percent weight loss (18% vs. 18%, p=0.63), and BMI change (8.0 vs. 8.4, p=0.39) which was maintained at 12 months. In multivariable models, after adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, and baseline BMI, undergoing surgery during the pandemic was not associated with a difference in weight loss or BMI change at 6- and 12-months post-operatively.

Conclusions

Despite the severe societal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy remained a durable intervention for adolescent obesity, with no observed differences in weight loss in patients undergoing surgery during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic.