BARIATRIC SURGERY IN BRAZILIAN PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, OR A LONG WAY TO GO. YELLOW SIGN!

BACKGROUND

In Brazil, there has been a significant increase in obesity rates in all age groups. Data from 2017 show that obesity affects 19% of the population. Due to the magnitude of the problem, public health policies have aimed to prevent complications related to obesity by increasing the offerfor bariatric surgeries.

AIM

To analyze the current status of bariatric surgery performed in the Brazilian public health system, including data from macroregions and also the effect of digestive surgery training on the number of procedures.

METHODS

The database of the public health registry (DATASUS) was assessedbetween 2008 and 2018 for descriptive analysis of data and evaluation of the selected parameters. The main surgical techniques, comorbidities, mortality and the costs profile of the system were evaluated.

RESULTS

There was a 339% increase in the number of bariatric surgeries in the period evaluated. Gastric bypass was performed in 94% of cases whereas sleeve in 2.4%. Other techniques were used in 3.6%. There were discrepancies in the number of surgeries performed in different regions of the country.

CONCLUSION

There was a considerable advance in the number of bariatric surgeries performed by the public health system between 2008 and 2018. However, there is a need to increase the offer of this service and alsospecialized training, as well as a correction in the distribution of these procedures in the national territory to achieve integrality among its users.