The effects of COVID-19 pandemic on elective post-bariatric surgery waiting list: a single Plastic Surgery Center investigation.

Abstract

After massive weight loss, patients that meet specific criteria can be inserted in an ad-hoc post-bariatric surgery list in order to be subjected to body contouring procedures. During COVID-19 pandemic, the Italian National Health System has been overwhelmed by the continue load of life-threatening patients that needed medical assistance. Plastic surgery practice enormously scaled back during this period and this fact greatly affected elective procedures waiting lists. The aim of our study is to analyze how the lockdown and its related sanitary policies affected post-bariatric patients' behaviors towards the delay of their procedure. A 7-item questionnaire was administered to all patients. Change in the desire to be subjected to body contouring procedures was recorded. Smoking status, level of training during quarantine and psychological co-morbidities were also evaluated. 124 patients completed the questionnaire. Data analysis showed that none of them encountered a decrease of the desire to be subjected to post-bariatric plastic surgery procedures. The present study showed that all the patients in the waiting list did not modify their interest in being subjected to post-bariatric surgery procedures, even though the waiting time increased.