Summary: Insights from the Australian Bariatric Surgery Registrar Data (2012-2021)
Metabolic-bariatric surgery is a well-established treatment for obesity, and we’re fortunate to have an updated evidence report highlighting its safety and efficacy in Australia.
The Bariatric Surgery Registry (BSR), run by Monash University, is a national registry that tracks outcomes for patients undergoing bariatric surgery in Australia. It collects data on weight loss, diabetes status, and surgical outcomes to improve safety, clinical guidelines, and patient care. Supported by leading surgical organisations and funded by the government, the BSR ensures high-quality, standardised data to drive research and quality improvements in bariatric surgery.
The BSR has recently published data from 2012–2021, covering approximately 122,000 patients. Key findings include:
✔️ Safety: 90-day complication rate was 3.6%, with low rates of serious adverse events.
✔️ Weight Loss: At 5 years, average total body weight loss (TBWL) was 34.9% for one-anastomosis gastric bypass, 30.7% for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, 26.5% for sleeve gastrectomy, and 17.6% for gastric banding.
✔️ Diabetes Improvement: Of those on diabetes medication before surgery, 71.6% no longer needed it at 1 year, and 61% at 5 years.
These results demonstrate that bariatric surgery is safe, effective for weight loss, and significantly improves diabetes management in real-world settings.
About BSR:
https://www.monash.edu/medicine/translational/research/registries/bariatric
