Prior bariatric surgery is associated with lower mortality and resource utilization following small bowel obstruction

Background: Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a complication of bariatric surgery. However, outcomes of surgical intervention for SBO among patients with prior bariatric surgery remain ill-defined. We used a nationally representative cohort to characterize the outcomes of the SBO management approach in patients with a prior bariatric operation. Methods: All adult hospitalizations for SBO were tabulated from the 2018–2020 National Readmissions Database. Patients with a prior history of bariatric surgery comprised the Bariatric cohort (others: Non-Bariatric). Multivariable models were subsequently developed to evaluate the association of prior bariatric surgery with outcomes of interest. Results: Of an estimated 299,983 hospitalizations for SBO, 15,788 (5.3 %) had a history of prior bariatric surgery. Compared to Non-Bariatric, Bariatric patients were younger (54 [46–62] vs 57 [47–64] years, P