Are There Gender-Specific Aspects of Sleeve Gastrectomy—Data Analysis from the Quality Assurance Study of Surgical Treatment of Obesity in Germany

Since 1 January 2005, the situation of bariatric surgery has been examined in Germany. All data are registered prospectively in cooperation with the Institute of Quality Assurance in Surgery at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. Data are registered in an internet online database. Data collection on the results of sleeve gastrectomy was started in 2006. Follow-up data were collected once a year. Participation in the quality assurance study is voluntary. Since 2005, 3,125 sleeve gastrectomies have been performed in 80 hospitals. The number of procedures has increased from 1 in 2005 to 1,564 in 2010. Initially, the leakage rate was 7 % in 2007. The leakage rate dropped to 1.7 in 2010. The mean age of patients was 43.5 years and mean body mass index (BMI) was 52.03 kg/m2. BMI and comorbidities are significantly higher in male than in female patients. The leakage rate in female patients was, at 1.60 %, significantly lower than in male patients, at 3.28 %. Sleeve gastrectomy is becoming more and more popular in Germany. But the postoperative complication rate is still high. Data from the nationwide survey of bariatric surgery in Germany show significant differences in preoperative comorbidities and complication rates between male and female patients. There is a need for further evaluation of gender-specific aspects to optimize patient selection and reduce specific postoperative complications.