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Incidences of MI, stroke, mortality drop significantly after bariatric surgery
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Bariatric surgery may reduce the incidence of myocardial infarction, stroke and death by half, according to new research presented at the 28th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery.
In a study comparing bariatric surgery with orthopedic and gastrointestinal surgeries, bariatric procedures were associated with a 25% to 50% risk reduction from MI, stroke or death. Researchers said this finding is consistent with previous studies comparing bariatric surgery patients with non-surgical patients.
Five years after surgery, 85% of bariatric surgery patients were living free of MI and stroke compared with 73% of orthopedic surgery patients and 66% of gastrointestinal surgery patients. At 10-years, the event-free survival rate was 77% in the bariatric surgery group vs. 64% in the orthopedic group and 62% in the gastrointestinal group.
When the researchers adjusted for differences in age and relevant comorbidities, they found that bariatric surgery was an independent predictor of event-free survival in morbidly obese patients undergoing selected, non-emergent surgical procedures.
Researchers at Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center reviewed data on 9,140 morbidly obese patients aged 40 to 70 years. Between 1996 and 2008, the patients underwent bariatric surgery (n=4,747), orthopedic surgery for a joint replacement (n=3,066) or gastrointestinal surgery for a hernia or gallbladder (n=1,327). The orthopedic and gastrointestinal surgery groups served as the control groups for the study. According to the researchers, all patients had similar health status before surgery and no medical history of MI or stroke.
“Bariatric surgery has long been considered an effective treatment for morbid obesity and type 2 diabetes, but mounting data suggest bariatric surgery can also prevent a multitude of diseases, particularly heart disease and stroke,” John David Scott, MD, study co-author and a bariatric surgeon at Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, said in a press release. “Clearly, significant weight loss plays a role, but further research is needed to understand the relationship between the amount lost and the amount of risk reduction, and whether or not the incidence of these diseases returns to the same level if someone regains the weight.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
The impact of bariatric surgery on both CV risk factors and events is an important area of emerging study. The authors’ findings are suggestive of an association between undergoing bariatric surgery and improved event-free survival. This relationship needs to be further explored with prospective clinical data, but still highlights the importance of understanding the broader impact of bariatric surgery on long-term outcomes.
Anita P. Courcoulas, MD, MPH
Director,
Minimally Invasive Bariatric & General Surgery
University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center
Disclosure: Dr. Courcoulas was not involved in this study and provided her perspective in an ASMBS press release.
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