Bariatric surgery reduces long-term rates of cardiac events and need for coronary revascularization: a propensity-matched analysis

The association of bariatric surgery with myocardial infarction and coronary revascularization: a propensity score match analysis of National Inpatient Sample

BACKGROUND

Metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) not only leads to a durable weight loss but also lowers mortality, and reduces cardiovascular risks.

OBJECTIVES

The current study aims to investigate the association of bariatric metabolic surgery (BMS) with admissions for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), including ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), as well as, coronary revascularization procedures, including percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), and thrombolysis.

SETTING

The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database.

METHODS

The NIS data from 2016 to 2020 were analyzed. A propensity score matching in a 1:1 ratio was performed to match patients with history of MBS with non-MBS group.

RESULTS

Two hundred thirty-three thousand seven hundred twenty-nine patients from the non-MBS group were matched with 233,729 patients with history of MBS. The MBS group had about 52% reduced odds of admission for AMI compared to the non-MBS group (adjusted odd ratio: .477, 95% confidence interval: .454-.502, P value <.001). In addition, the odds of STEMI and NSEMI were significantly lower in the MBS group in comparison to the non-MBS group. Also, the MBS group had significantly lower odds of CABG, PCI, and thrombolysis compared to the non-MBS group. In addition, in patients with AMI, MBS was associated with lower in-hospital mortality (adjusted odd ratio: .627, 95% confidence interval: .469-.839, P value = .004), length of hospital stays, and total charges.

CONCLUSIONS

History of MBS is significantly associated with reduced risk of admission for AMI including STEMI and NSTEMI, as well as the, need for coronary revascularization such as PCI and CABG.

The role of weight control in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus: Bariatric surgery

Diabetes mellitus is one of the major epidemics in the United States. It is heavily associated with obesity and multiple metabolic derangements that lead to long term morbidity, mortality as well as financial burden. Although medical therapy has been the mainstay in the management of diabetes mellitus, there remains a large portion of this patient population which struggles to obtain adequate glycemic control and long-term weight control with medical management alone. Bariatric surgery is a powerful tool in combating diabetes mellitus and affects glucose homeostasis through a variety of pathways. While it does provide a durable pathway for weight loss, improvement in glucose homeostasis is not only affected by the weight loss seen after bariatric surgery. Changes in gut hormone secretion, insulin regulation, and gut microbial composition also affect how these operations improve glucose homeostasis. Through improvement in the management of diabetes mellitus, comorbidities including cardiovascular disease, in turn demonstrate improvement. In this article, we will discuss the role of bariatric (metabolic) surgery as it relates to long term weight loss and the impact that weight loss has on improvement in diabetes mellitus.

The Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Cardiovascular Outcomes and Cardiovascular Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Obesity is a major public health problem that is associated with serious comorbidities and premature mortality. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the major cause of morbidity and mortality associated with obesity. Lifestyle modifications, pharmacological therapy, and weight reduction surgery are the major interventions to date available for obesity management. Bariatric surgery has been increasingly utilized as a therapeutic option for obesity. In this meta-analysis, we aim to assess the effects of bariatric surgery on CVD outcomes and cardiovascular mortality. This study was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were searched until 03/01/2022. Our search included three types of bariatric surgery: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), sleeve gastrectomy, and gastric banding (GB). All were searched in conjunction with "coronary artery disease," "ischemic heart disease," "myocardial infarction," "cerebrovascular accident," "stroke," "atrial fibrillation," "heart failure," "arrhythmias," and "mortality." We included 49 studies meeting the study criteria. Bariatric surgery showed a beneficial effect on coronary artery disease (CAD) (hazard ratio (HR) of 0.68 {95% confidence interval (CI): 0.52-0.91}, p = 0.008), myocardial infarction (MI) (HR of 0.53 {95% CI: 0.44-0.64}, p < 0.01) heart failure (HF) (HR of 0.45 {95% CI: 0.37-0.55}, p < 0.01), cerebrovascular accident (CVA) (HR of 0.68 {95% CI: 0.59-0.78}, p < 0.01), and cardiovascular mortality (HR of 0.48 {95% CI: 0.40-0.57}, p < 0.01). The effect on atrial fibrillation (AF) did not reach statistical significance: HR of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.65-1.01), p = 0.07. Our study, that is, an updated meta-analysis, including the three types of procedure, confirms beneficial effects on the major CVD outcomes, including coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, and heart failure, and on CVD mortality. This study provides updated insights into the long-term CV effects of bariatric surgery, an increasingly common intervention for obesity.

Impact of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy on Thrombomodulin Concentration and Early Markers of Atherosclerosis

Background

Thrombomodulin, an integral membrane protein functioning as a cofactor in the anticoagulant pathways, has recently emerged as a marker of endothelial dysfunction. This study aimed to investigate the impact of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on thrombomodulin concentration and early markers of atherosclerosis.

Methods

Forty-four subjects undergoing LSG were prospectively examined. The change in thrombomodulin concentration from baseline (preoperative) to the sixth postoperative month following the LSG and the relationship between the change in thrombomodulin concentration and BMI, CIMT, ABI, and blood lipids were examined.

Results

The medical records were available for 44 patients (mean age: 37.2 ± 10.9 years, 65.9% male). LSG led to significant reductions in total body weight and body mass index (BMI) at postoperative six months (37.0 ± 5.6 kg/m² vs. 47.1 ± 5.8 kg/m², p < 0.001). Markers of early atherosclerotic events, including carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and ABI, improved. The change in thrombomodulin concentration (Δ TMD) was significantly correlated with the change in Δ BMI (r = 0.500, p=0.011), Δ LDL (r = 0.389, p=0.032), Δ systolic blood pressure (r = 0.384, p=0.012), and Δ CIMT (r = 0.327, p=0.012) and was negatively correlated with Δ HDL (r = −0.344, p=0.020) and Δ ABI (r = −0.357, p=0.020).

Conclusion

LSG leads to significant improvements in blood lipids, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and in surrogate markers of atherosclerotic burden and endothelial function, including thrombomodulin, ABI, and CIMT, at postoperative six months. LSG might prevent or reduce atherogenesis in the early stages by stopping endothelial dysfunction.

Markers of Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Severe Obesity and One Year after Bariatric Surgery

Background: Aortic valve sclerosis (AVS), mitral valve sclerosis (MVS), remodeling of major arteries, and increased pericardial fat are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis. We assessed these markers of atherosclerosis in severely obese patients before and 1 year after bariatric surgery. Methods: Eighty-seven severely obese patients (43 ± 10 years, preoperative body mass index [BMI] 41.8 ± 5 kg/m2) underwent echocardiography before and 1 year after Roux-en-Y bypass surgery in the FatWest (Bariatric Surgery on the West Coast of Norway) study. We measured the end-diastolic aortic wall thickness (AWT), pericardial fat thickness at the right ventricular free wall, and AVS/MVS based on combined aortic leaflet thickness and hyperechoic valve lesions. Results: Postoperatively, patients experienced a reduction of 12.9 ± 3.9 kg/m2 in BMI, 0.5 ± 1.9 mm in AWT, 2.6 ± 2.3 mm in pericardial fat, and 45%/53% in AVS/MVS (p < 0.05). In multivariate regression analyses with adjustment for clinical and hemodynamic variables, less pericardial fat reduction was associated with male sex and higher 1-year blood pressure and BMI, and less AWT-reduction with higher age and 1-year BMI (p < 0.05). Persistent AVS and MVS were related to higher 1-year BMI and more advanced valve sclerosis preoperatively (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Markers of subclinical atherosclerosis decreases significantly 1 year after bariatric surgery, particularly in younger patients that achieve a BMI < 28 kg/m2.

OUP accepted manuscript

Aims

Obesity is a global health problem, associated with significant morbidity and mortality, often due to cardiovascular (CV) diseases. While bariatric surgery is increasingly performed in patients with obesity and reduces CV risk factors, its effect on CV disease is not established. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of bariatric surgery on CV outcomes, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline.

Methods and results

PubMed and Embase were searched for literature until August 2021 which compared bariatric surgery patients to non-surgical controls. Outcomes of interest were all-cause and CV mortality, atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure (HF), myocardial infarction, and stroke. We included 39 studies, all prospective or retrospective cohort studies, but randomized outcome trials were not available. Bariatric surgery was associated with a beneficial effect on all-cause mortality [pooled hazard ratio (HR) of 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49–0.62, P < 0.001 vs. controls], and CV mortality (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.47–0.73, P < 0.001). In addition, bariatric surgery was also associated with a reduced incidence of HF (HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.38–0.66, P < 0.001), myocardial infarction (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.43–0.76, P < 0.001), and stroke (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.53–0.77, P < 0.001), while its association with AF was not statistically significant (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.64–1.06, P = 0.12).

Conclusion

The present systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that bariatric surgery is associated with reduced all-cause and CV mortality, and lowered incidence of several CV diseases in patients with obesity. Bariatric surgery should therefore be considered in these patients.

Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Following Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries, with worsening pandemics of type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity as major cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. Clinical trials of nonsurgical obesity treatments have not shown benefits in CVD, although recent diabetes trials have demonstrated major CV benefits. In many retrospective and prospective cohort studies, however, metabolic (bariatric) surgery is associated with substantial and reproducible CVD benefits. Despite a lack of prospective, randomized clinical trials, data suggest metabolic surgery may be the most effective modality for CVD risk reduction, likely through weight loss and weight loss-independent mechanisms.

Outcomes in Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery: an Updated 5-Year Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Knowledge regarding postoperative outcomes after bariatric and metabolic surgery continues to evolve. This review highlights key findings in outcomes research over the last 5 years related to weight loss, remission of obesity-related disease, reflux, revisional surgery, robotic-assisted surgical platforms, and adolescent populations.

RECENT FINDINGS

Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) produce similar weight loss patterns at 5 years, while duodenal switch (BPD/DS) and related procedures are associated with maximal weight loss overall and optimal resolution of obesity-related comorbidities. Remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) following surgery is more likely in patients who are not insulin dependent prior to surgery. Bariatric and metabolic surgery offers a significant protective effect against coronary artery disease (CAD) and associated interventions in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients, as well as heart failure (HF). Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and dysphagia following SG are common, and routine endoscopic surveillance for Barrett's esophagus may be of significant utility. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic platforms concur similar outcomes to laparoscopic intervention, with a potential benefit in high BMI patients. Revisional surgery is most commonly performed for weight regain and/or inadequate weight loss following an index procedure, or reflux, and generally characterized by higher postoperative complication rates and longer inpatient lengths of stay (LOS). Surgical intervention in adolescent populations has similar weight loss and postoperative complication profiles to those seen in adult populations, with improved outcomes related to T2DM. Bariatric and metabolic surgery continues to evolve as a treatment for obesity and obesity-related comorbidities. While effective for weight loss and remission of obesity-related disease, SG is associated with high rates of postoperative GERD.