EVALUATION OF BARIATRIC SURGERY TRENDS IN THE BRAZILIAN PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM (2018-2024): REAL WORLD STUDY ASSESSING THE GAP BETWEEN PREVALENCE AND LAPAROSCOPIC UPTAKE
Author(s)
Ana Paula Casagrande Oliveira, MSc1, Fernanda Laranjeira, PhD2, Kyla Jones, BA, MSc3, Igor Zanetti, MSc, MBA1, André Luiz Alves Ribeiro de Souza, MBA1, JUAN VALENCIA, MSc, MD4.
1Medtronic, São Paulo, Brazil, 2Medtronic, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 3Medtronic, Napoles, Mexico, 4Medtronic, Miami, FL, USA.
1Medtronic, São Paulo, Brazil, 2Medtronic, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 3Medtronic, Napoles, Mexico, 4Medtronic, Miami, FL, USA.
OBJECTIVES: Monitoring bariatric surgery in Brazil is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of obesity policies and guide public resource allocation. Given an estimated 4 million obese individuals in Brazil, this study investigates the volume of bariatric surgeries performed in the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS) and analyzes the uptake of laparoscopic surgery from 2018 to 2024.
METHODS: A retrospective database study was conducted from SUS perspective using open-access claim data (DATASUS/SIH) from 2018 to 2024. The study identified obesity-related procedures for patients meeting SUS criteria: patients with a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 50 kg/m²; BMI ≥ 40 kg/m² refractory to previous treatment; BMI > 35 kg/m² with comorbidities. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
RESULTS: In the period of 2018-2024, a total of 54,402 bariatric surgeries (laparoscopic and open) were performed in the SUS. Yearly analysis highlights a significant decline during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2021), with a recovery trend beginning in 2022. Laparoscopic surgery adoption grew significantly from 5% in 2018 to 54% in 2024. Despite this growth, total surgical volume covers less than 2% of the eligible population, and laparoscopic uptake remains below the initial Ministry of Health projection to completely replace open surgery by 2020 (2-3 years after reimbursement approval), due to ongoing barriers in reimbursement and funding models.
CONCLUSIONS: There is a substantial gap between the volume of surgeries performed and the prevalence of obesity in Brazil. While the adoption of laparoscopic procedures is increasing, it remains underutilized. To meet this mandate and optimize public resources, funding barriers should be addressed by Brazilian government to increase laparoscopic uptake, which is associated with lower complication rates and reduced overall healthcare costs.
METHODS: A retrospective database study was conducted from SUS perspective using open-access claim data (DATASUS/SIH) from 2018 to 2024. The study identified obesity-related procedures for patients meeting SUS criteria: patients with a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 50 kg/m²; BMI ≥ 40 kg/m² refractory to previous treatment; BMI > 35 kg/m² with comorbidities. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
RESULTS: In the period of 2018-2024, a total of 54,402 bariatric surgeries (laparoscopic and open) were performed in the SUS. Yearly analysis highlights a significant decline during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2021), with a recovery trend beginning in 2022. Laparoscopic surgery adoption grew significantly from 5% in 2018 to 54% in 2024. Despite this growth, total surgical volume covers less than 2% of the eligible population, and laparoscopic uptake remains below the initial Ministry of Health projection to completely replace open surgery by 2020 (2-3 years after reimbursement approval), due to ongoing barriers in reimbursement and funding models.
CONCLUSIONS: There is a substantial gap between the volume of surgeries performed and the prevalence of obesity in Brazil. While the adoption of laparoscopic procedures is increasing, it remains underutilized. To meet this mandate and optimize public resources, funding barriers should be addressed by Brazilian government to increase laparoscopic uptake, which is associated with lower complication rates and reduced overall healthcare costs.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
HPR105
Topic
Health Policy & Regulatory
Topic Subcategory
Reimbursement & Access Policy
Disease
SDC: Diabetes/Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders (including obesity)