Abstract
PURPOSE: The introduction of insurance coverage in Korea has led to a rise in the number of bariatric and metabolic surgeries. This study aims to provide a comprehensive report on the nationwide status of these surgeries from 2019 to 2022, utilizing data from the Korean Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (KSMBS) database registry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study analyzed data from the KSMBS registry, collected from 68 certified surgeons across 58 institutions from January 2019 to December 2022. After excluding non-relevant cases, the final analysis included 7,377 patients. RESULTS: Annually, data for 1,869, 1,934, 1,782, and 1,792 patients were collected from 2019 to 2022, respectively. The rate of revisional operations accounted for 7.1%, 8.2%, 4.6%, and 4.5% of the total cases each year. The most common primary surgery was Sleeve Gastrectomy (SG, ranging from 71.1% to 78.9%), followed by Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB, ranging from 9.6% to 13.4%). The surgeries demonstrated a high safety profile, with a low morbidity rate (0.5% to 0.9%) and a zero mortality rate over the 4 years. Within 2 years post-operation, the Total Weight Loss Percentage was similar among patients who underwent SG, RYGB, and Sleeve Plus procedures. CONCLUSION: The number of bariatric and metabolic surgeries in Korea has increased significantly since the introduction of national insurance coverage. SG was the most performed primary procedure. All surgical procedures showed safe short-term outcomes and yielded reasonable results upon follow-up, indicating a positive impact of insurance coverage on the accessibility and safety of surgeries.