Hypoalbuminemia Predicts Serious Complications Following Elective Bariatric Surgery

The aims of this study were to (1) characterize the prevalence of hypoalbuminemia (HA), (2) compare complication rates among HA and non-HA patients, and (3) determine the influence of HA on postoperative complications and 30-day mortality among bariatric surgery patients. Data was extracted from the MBSAQIP registry from 2015 to 2018. A presurgical serum albumin level of $$\le$$ 3.5 g/dL was used to organize the patient population into HA and non-HA cohorts. Bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression modeling were used. Of 590,971 patients, 42,618 (7.2%) were identified as having serum albumin levels $$\le$$ 3.5 g/dL. HA patients were younger (44.0 + / − 11.9 vs. 44.5 + / − 12.0 years; p