Feasibility and Health-economic Evaluation of Remote Clinical Monitoring Enabling Same-day Discharge After Bariatric Surgery: a Randomized Controlled Pilot Feasibility Trial

Obesity affects over one billion people worldwide and continues to increase . Bariatric surgery, especially laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), is an effective treatment for severe obesity and related health issues. Over the last decade, gastric bypass surgery has been performed more frequently through laparoscopic RYGB than open surgery. This minimally invasive alternative offers less postoperative pain, a quicker recovery, a shorter hospital stay, decreased morbidity, reduced intraoperative blood loss, and reduced healthcare costs. Traditionally, these surgeries require hospital stays, but there is growing interest in optimizing care pathways to improve recovery and reduce hospital resource utilization.

While same-day discharge (SDD) protocols aim to minimize hospital stay, concerns remain about patient safety after early discharge. Without continuous monitoring, early signs of complications such as bleeding, infection, or respiratory distress may be missed or detected too late, potentially leading to emergency readmissions or worse outcomes. Remote monitoring technologies offer the potential to address this gap by enabling real-time surveillance of vital signs, thus allowing for earlier detection of complications and timely interventions.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols have established guidelines that outline improved perioperative care by promoting early post-surgical mobilization, a multimodal approach to analgesia, and the prevention of postoperative nausea. These improvements have made SDD after bariatric surgery possible and have shown promising feasibility and safety in select patient groups. However, most evidence comes from specialized centers under controlled conditions, and the broad implementation of SDD remains limited.

One key challenge in the broader adoption of SDD is ensuring patient safety after discharge. Although remote monitoring appears promising, its added value in the specific context of ambulatory bariatric surgery remains insufficiently studied. It remains unclear whether this technology improves outcomes, adherence, or patient satisfaction compared to current care pathways.

Despite the possible benefits of outpatient procedures, the transition from inpatient to outpatient care poses significant challenges in many healthcare systems. In Belgium, for example, SDD bariatric surgery can lead to substantial reductions in hospital reimbursement, creating a financial disincentive for hospitals to implement SDD pathways. This situation highlights the urgent need for robust data demonstrating the feasibility, safety, and economic implications of SDD combined with remote monitoring in bariatric surgery.