BARIATRIC SURGERY AND THE NEW CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT ON SUS AND AGREEMENT PROCEDURES

Abstract

Introduction: The treatment of obesity involves several multidisciplinary approaches, including surgical intervention. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted access to it, creating difficulties in its resumption and accentuating the disparities between the public and private system. Objective: To analyze the impact of the pandemic on bariatric surgery performed by SUS and medical insurance in Brazil. Methods: Data were collected using the TABNET databases of the Hospital Information System (SIH), of the Unified Health System (SUS), and the TISS data panel of the National Supplementary Health Agency (ANS), in the period of 2015 to 2021 and a descriptive quantitative analysis was performed, calculating the average of the information. In addition, statistical estimates were performed using linear regression in SPSS software, with a 95% confidence interval. Results: A significant and direct correlation was identified between the increase in the number of procedures performed by the SUS and the average increase in procedures over the years, while in the health insurance system there was no significant correlation. During the pandemic, there was a significant drop in surgical volume in both systems, with the public system being more affected. The resumption of surgical volume has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels in the public system, while the private system showed a significant increase. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the ability of the public and private sector to perform bariatric surgeries in Brazil. The results show regional and socioeconomic differences in the performance of these procedures.