Minor Complications Up for Black Patients After Weight-Loss Surgery

Follow Drugslib on

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on June 23, 2025.

via HealthDay

MONDAY, June 23, 2025 -- Black patients have a higher incidence of minor complications after metabolic and bariatric surgery, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, held from June 15 to 19 in Washington, D.C.

Safraz Hamid, M.D., from the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues identified patients who underwent primary laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass from 2016 to 2023. Yearly complication rates were compared for Black versus White patients.

A total of 1,106,419 patients were identified: 75.0 and 25.0 percent were White and Black, respectively. The researchers found that each year, Black patients demonstrated significantly higher rates of Clavien-Dindo (CD) category 1 complications (2016: 10.2 versus 7.6 percent; 2023: 15.0 versus 12.1 percent). No consistent differences were seen by race for CD2, CD3, CD4, or CD5 complications. Overall, readmission occurred in 5.2 and 3.5 percent of Black and White patients, respectively, in 2016, and in 3.7 and 2.8 percent, respectively, in 2023. Unplanned intervention rates also decreased over time (1.9 and 1.2 percent, respectively, for Black and White patients in 2016; 0.8 and 0.6 percent, respectively, in 2023); across all years, differences were significant. Emergency department visit rates increased for both groups (7.8 and 5.6 percent, respectively, for Black and White patients in 2016; 11.0 and 8.3 percent, respectively, in 2023); across all years, differences were significant.

"We were surprised the minor complication rate increased year after year and that racial disparities persisted," Hamid said in a statement. "More work is needed to identify what's causing the uptick and how it can be reversed."

Press Release

More Information

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2025-06-24 06:00

Read more

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Popular Keywords