Follow-up care after metabolic surgery – a prospective study in the North-Eastern region of Romania

Background. Anti-obesity therapeutic strategies are continuously evolving. Bariatric procedures or metabolic surgery are among the most effective and long-lasting therapies for obesity and its complications. Our objective was to investigate the clinical and biological evolution after metabolic surgery in a group of patients from North-Eastern Romania and to evaluate a nutritional intervention plan for this population. Materials and Methods. Our clinic surveyed 50 patients who received nutritional counselling before and after bariatric surgery. The patient's weight loss, metabolic markers, and lifestyle changes from January to December 2021 were recorded. SPSS Statistics v.18 was used for statistical analyses. Results and Discussions. Patients had a mean age of 37.70 ± 11.38 years, with an initial body mass index (BMI) of 42.98 ± 6.12 kg/m2. One month after surgery, longitudinal gastrectomy patients lost 12.6 kg (114.33 ± 19.26 vs 101.73±17.27 kg), and gastric bypass patients lost 10.86 kg (119.33 ± 20.83 vs 108.47±17.96 kg). Body composition improved in the first six months after the intervention due to adipose (mean value 37.83±6.42 from 46.38±6.63) and visceral (mean value 8.50 ± 4.42 from 13.72±5.67) tissues decrease. Muscle tissue increased from 35.54±12.63 to a mean value of 39.95±17.96. HbA1c values improved from 5.90±0.63% to 5.30±0.30% in the first month after the intervention. The nutritional intervention was safe without significant deficits after 1 and 6 months. Conclusions. Metabolic surgery is associated with a weight loss of 10.8 to 12.6 kg and improved body composition. Patients require follow-up and further dietary counseling to sustain long-term results.