1-Year Follow-up of Single Anastomosis Sleeve Ileal (SASI) Bypass in Morbid Obese Patients: Efficacy and Concerns

Background: Single anastomosis sleeve ileal (SASI) bypass is a new bariatric and metabolic procedure that has both restrictive and malabsorptive effects. This study was conducted to assess both the efficacy and safety of this procedure in a short-term follow-up.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined weight loss- and obesity-related comorbidities and complications in patients who had undergone SASI bypass from October 2017 to March 2018 at a center of excellence for bariatric/metabolic surgery.

Results: Twenty-four patients had undergone SASI bypass due to some existing risk factors of gastric cancer or premalignant lesions in the esophagogastroduodenoscopy. The mean BMI of the patients was 44.2 (median 43.7, range 37.0-54.8) kg/m². Six and 12 months after surgery, the mean (median) excessive weight loss (EWL) was 67.8% (63.3) and 86.2% (82.9) and total weight loss (TWL) was 28.5% (27.6) and 36.46% (35.8), respectively. Most patients had complete remission in type 2 diabetes mellitus (89%), arterial hypertension (86%), dyslipidemia (100%), obstructive sleep apnea (100%), and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (73%) during the 1 year after surgery. One case of extra-luminal bleeding and one case of trocar site hernia occurred after surgery. Moreover, two patients converted to sleeve gastrectomy because of hypoalbuminemia and EWL about 1 year after SASI.

Conclusion: SASI bypass is a newly introduced investigational procedure for improving weight loss and comorbidities; however, it may result in EWL and protein malnutrition and should only be performed for select patients and by well-experienced bariatric surgeons.

Keywords: Hypoalbuminemia; Morbid obesity; SASI; Single anastomosis; Sleeve ileal.