Anatomical and functional alterations of the heart in morbid obesity. Changes after bariatric surgery

• Published in: Revista española de cardiología (English ed.) 2012-01, Vol.65 (1), p.14-21
• Main Authors: Luaces, María, Cachofeiro, Victoria, García-Muñoz-Najar, Alejandro, Medina, Manuel, González, Noemí, Cancer, Emilia, Rodríguez-Robles, Azucena, Cánovas, Gloria, Antequera-Pérez, Alfonso
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; spa
• ISSN: 1885-5857
• DOI: 10.1016/j.recesp.2011.06.018

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVESCardiac adaptation to obesity includes both structural and functional changes in the heart. The therapeutic option of last resort for morbidly obese patients is bariatric surgery. This study aims to assess the anatomical functional changes in the heart for a Spanish cohort of morbidly obese patients, as well as changes after bariatric surgery.METHODSPatients referred for bariatric surgery were prospectively included. In each case, a transthoracic echocardiography, electrocardiogram, and blood tests were performed before the procedure and repeated 1 year after surgery.RESULTSForty-one patients completed the 1-year follow-up. Of these, 82.9% were female. Mean age was 40.2±9.6 years. Prior to surgery, mean body mass index was 47.41 kg/m(2), decreasing to 30.43 kg/m(2) after the procedure. Before surgery, cardiac remodeling was present in 70.7%, most frequently in the form of eccentric hypertrophy (34.1%). At 1-year follow-up, 58.5% showed a normal left ventricular geometric pattern (P=.02). Mitral inflow E/A ratio changed from 1.14 to 1.43 (P