Photo Credit: Pavel Muravev
The following is a summary of “Evaluation of bariatric surgery effect on cardiac structure and function using transthoracic echocardiography: a cohort study,” published in the January 2024 issue of Surgery by Abtahi et al.
Obesity, recognized as a global health concern and a leading cause of mortality, poses significant risks to various organs, notably the heart. This study discusses the impact of bariatric surgery and subsequent weight loss on cardiac structure and functions in individuals with morbid obesity, employing comprehensive echocardiography parameters.
Conducting a cohort study from March 2020 to March 2021, researchers enrolled 30 patients over 18 with a BMI > 40 or BMI > 35 and comorbidity. The participants underwent transthoracic echocardiography both before and after six months of bariatric surgery.
The study cohort, comprising 93.3% women with a mean age of 38.70 ± 9.19, included 30% diabetic and 30% hypertensive individuals. Notably, after six months of bariatric surgery, significant reductions were observed in all physical measurements, encompassing weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), and Body Surface Area (BSA) (p < 0.001).
Post-bariatric surgery, an array of left ventricular morphological parameters demonstrated substantial improvement, including left ventricular mass, interventricular septal thickness, left ventricular posterior wall thickness, left ventricular end-systolic diameter, and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (p < 0.001). Furthermore, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) exhibited an increase (p < 0.001), indicative of enhanced systolic function. The tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), reflecting right ventricular function, demonstrated improvement (p < 0.001). There were significant reductions in right ventricular diameter, left atrium volume, and mitral inflow E/e’ (p < 0.001).
In conclusion, this study elucidates a significant refinement in systolic and diastolic parameters following bariatric surgery among individuals with obesity. The findings underscore the substantial improvement in cardiac structure and function due to bariatric surgery, providing valuable insights into the potential cardiovascular benefits of weight loss interventions in this patient population.
Source: bmcsurg.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12893-024-02328-z