Bariatric Surgery in Patients With Cirrhosis

One retrospective study found that there was an increase in mortality in patients with compensated and decompensated cirrhosis undergoing bariatric surgery when compared with patients without cirrhosis. Previous studies have found similar results supporting the use of laparoscopic bariatric surgery in patients with compensated cirrhosis. Patients with any evidence of portal hypertension should be excluded from bariatric surgery. Acute liver failure has been described in patients undergoing bariatric surgery even up to close to a year after the procedure, generally associated with jejunoileal bypass. Thus, patients who undergo bariatric surgery require close follow-up to continue even after the immediate postoperative period.