Background and Objectives:Bariatric surgery has been shown to be an effective weight loss treatment for the morbidly obese, but some primary care physicians remain hesitant about postoperative treatment and management of patients who have undergone the surgery and recommend it to their obese patients infrequently. The purpose of this study was to evaluate perceptions of primary care physicians of the role of bariatric surgery in the management of obese patients and to identify possible barriers to treatment.Methods:A survey of PCPs within our institution was conducted to determine attitudes, knowledge, and practices regarding the treatment of morbidly obese patients, with a specific focus on identifying factors that influence referral patterns for bariatric surgery.Results:Among 161 eligible PCPs, 57 (35.4%) responded. Most respondents (59%) reported that at least 1 in 4 of their patients had a BMI ≥35 kg/m2. Although 39% thought that diet and exercise were an effective means of sustained weight loss, only 12% were satisfied with prescribing nonsurgical interventions. Sixty-three percent agreed that bariatric surgery is generally effective in the long term. All respondents were aware of the commonly established benefits, including improvement of diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. In addition, 65% were familiar with the indications for bariatric surgery, and 70% felt comfortable discussing it with patients as a treatment option. Fewer than half of the respondents felt confident in providing postoperative management. Cost was a perceived limitation, with 53% reporting that most of their patients could not afford bariatric surgery.Conclusions:The general attitude of PCPs toward bariatric surgery is supportive. Physicians are largely aware of the indications and benefits; however, far fewer are comfortable in management of patients after surgery. A lack of supplemental information and concerns regarding the cost of surgery can impede treatment and referrals.

Introduction Bariatric surgery is the most effective method for producing sustained weight loss, improving obesity-associated comorbidities and reducing inflammation in the morbidly obese population. The red cell distribution width (RDW) is a novel marker of inflammation that is usually reported as part of a complete blood count. In this study, we tested our hypothesis that red cell distribution width might represent a novel biomarker predictive of excess body-mass index loss (EBMIL) following laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). Methods Five hundred and forty-seven included LRYGB patients from a single institution were individually reviewed, noting both pre-operative RDW and percent excess BMI loss at six months and one year post-LRYGB (%EBMIL180 and %EBMIL365, respectively). Bivariate and multivariate linear regression analysis was conducted between age, gender, initial body-mass index (BMI0) and RDW and each of the two endpoints, to assess the independence of RDW as a predictor of post-operative success. Results The median RDW was 13.9 (13.3 – 14.6)%, and median EBMIL180 and EBMIL365 were 55.4 (45.2 – 66.7)% and 71.3 (58.9 – 87.8)%, respectively. After controlling for age, gender and BMI0, RDW was associated with %EBMIL365 (B = −1.4 [−2.8 – −0.002]%, P = .05), but not %EBMIL180 (B = −0.6 [−1.6 – 0.5]%, P = .30. Upon Kruskal-Wallis analysis, patients with a pre-operative RDW > 15.0% had significantly lower %EBMIL than those in the <13.0% (P < .001) and 13.0–15.0% (P < .01) strata. Conclusions RDW is predictive of EBMIL at one year following LRYGB. This represents a novel pre-operative biomarker that may provide clinically useful prognostic information.

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