Bariatric Surgery Improves Systolic Dysfunction In Obesity Cardiomyopathy

• Published in: Journal of cardiac failure 2020-10, Vol.26 (10), p.S115-S116
• Main Authors: Gaznabi, Safwan, Balakumaran, Kathir, Kaur, Babbaljeet, Garcia, Raul Angel, Zacharias, Michael, Abu-Omar, Yasir, ElAmm, Chantal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1071-9164; 1532-8414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2020.09.334

The prevalence of morbid obesity and heart failure have been steadily increasing in recent decades. Symptoms of heart failure are often masked by and/or attributed to exercise intolerance from morbid obesity. This portends a poor prognosis for the patient given their risk of mortality and cardiac complications. Bariatric surgery is an option for significant weight reduction in those patients who meet eligibility. Patients that benefit from such weight loss interventions report a significant improvement in degree of physical condition, however it is unclear if that is entirely due to the weight loss itself or improvement of various comorbidities, including but not limited to LVEF. We sought to explore this hypothesis by analyzing our morbidly obese population with LVEF < 50% at our dedicated Obesity Clinic at our institution. A retrospective single center analysis of all patients in the dedicated Obesity Clinic at a single academic center were examined, identifying all patients with LVEF < 50%. Pre-operative and post-operative parametric data were compared with two sampled t-test. Between 2010 and 2019, there were 191 patients with a history of morbid obesity and heart failure referred to the Obesity Clinic for bariatric surgery (Figure 1). Of this group, 58 patients (30%) had an LVEF < 50%, of which 22 patients (38%) proceeded to bariatric surgery, either sleeve gastrectomy or Roux En Y procedure. Of patients who proceeded to bariatric surgery, 12 patients (54%) had a significant improvement of their LVEF (32.30% ± 4.32 to 51.60% ± 7.35, p