Background:
Bariatric surgery is becoming an increasingly accessed surgery for weight management. There has been a rise in ‘bariatric surgery tourism’ with Irish patients travelling abroad to access surgery. Bariatric surgery has been associated with a range of complications in pregnancy. However, obesity is also associated with an increase in adverse pregnancy outcomes which can be mitigated by weight loss prior to surgery.
Aims & Objectives:
To describe the prevalence of previous bariatric surgery in pregnancy in Dublin across the three Dublin maternity hospitals (The Coombe Hospital, The National Maternity Hospital, The Rotunda Hospital) and to describe the trends in prevalence over the a 6 year period 2018-2023.
To describe the socio-demographic profile of those with a history of bariatric surgery prior to pregnancy.
To describe the clinical history of those with a history of bariatric surgery prior to pregnancy, including the nature of bariatric surgery.
To describe the pregnancy outcomes in those with a history of bariatric surgery including both indirect complications of pregnancy (such as need for gastric band removal) and direct obstetric complications as well as neonatal complications.
What this work will establish:
Establishment of prevalence data and socio-demographic descriptive data of patients becoming pregnant following bariatric surgery, including trends in prevalence over the past six years. This has never yet been described in an Irish context.
Report on the complication rates associated with bariatric surgery in pregnancy in Ireland. This will include surgical complications, malabsorptive complications in pregnancy and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Despite increasing prevalence of bariatric surgery in Ireland there is no national guideline on care for the pregnant patient with a history of bariatric surgery. This study will provide public health and clinical data upon which national public health policy and national guidance can be based.