CURRENT STATUS OF BARIATRIC SURGERY IN VENEZUELA: SURVEY "ON LINE" TO THE MEMBERS OF THE VENEZUELAN SOCIETY OF BARIATRIC AND METABOLIC SURGERY

Abstract

Objective: There are various surgical procedures for the treatment of morbid obesity and its comorbidities, and each one of them has technical variations that may influence the final results. The aim of this study is to explore which and how are the bariatric procedures that are practiced in our country, specifically within Venezuelan Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery (SOVCIBAM). Method: An internet survey was sent on July 2011 to each member surgeon of this society according to the e-mails in its database, collecting the results after 4 months. Results: A 60% of surgeons responded the survey, 95.8% of them used at least 2 different bariatric procedures in daily practice.
Laparoscopic Roux en Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) is the main procedure for 95.8% of surgeons, with laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in the second place of preference. The average of bariatric procedures during the past 12 months was 83.5 patients. Conclusion: LRYGB is the most used bariatric procedure for SOVCIBAM surgeons, and although there are technical variations, the results of this survey showed a clear trend to some specific aspects of the procedure. Future research must explore the association between the information contained in this survey and the final results derived from each technique.