The Multidisciplinary Metabolic Surgery Service (MMSS) team, established since 2016, is a multi-disciplinary team involving upper gastrointestinal surgeons, anaesthetists, medical endocrinologists, dietitians, physiotherapists, clinical psychologists, providing efficient and effective care to obese patients through surgery.
Our aim is to help obese patients through surgery to have long-term weight loss and to improve obesity-related comorbidities including diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, osteoarthritis of knee and obstructive sleep apnoea. Obesity related comorbidities contribute a huge burden towards our healthcare. Our aim is to decrease this economic and social burden so that our healthcare system can continue to run efficiently without exhausting limited resources.
Standardized protocol is formulated to include outpatient based preoperative assessment and preparation, and to ensure adequate time for prehabilitation. The MMSS team holds regular preoperative briefing and postoperative review to facilitate communication and formulate improvement plans.
More than 100 bariatric surgeries have been performed in QEH since 2016 for obesity. Either sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass were performed. 65% of patients who received surgery had hypertension. Of these hypertensive patients, 32% had partial resolution and while 32% had complete resolution after surgery. 54% of patients who received surgery had diabetes. Of these diabetic patients, 22% had partial resolution and while 56% had complete resolution. 43% of patients who received surgery had hyperlipidaemia. Of these patients with hyperlipidaemia, 8% had partial resolution and while 25% had complete resolution.
Patients with complete resolution no longer requires treatment. Patients with partial resolution have reduced dosage or discontinuation of medications. This ultimately translate to less drug prescriptions, less clinic time and decreased waiting time for other patients. Surgery also improves comorbidities such as osteoarthritis of the knee, obstructive sleep apnoea. This ultimately leads to better resource allocation and lessen burden of the health care system.
