A recent study by researchers from the Metamor Institute at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in collaboration with Our Lady of the Lake and LSU Health-New Orleans, has shown that metabolic surgery can help people with heart failure reduce their need for certain medications.
Specifically, patients who underwent this surgery needed fewer oral diuretics, which are commonly prescribed to manage heart failure symptoms like high blood pressure and fluid buildup.
The study, titled “Clinical Outcomes of Metabolic Surgery on Diuretic Use in Patients with Heart Failure,” was published in The American Journal of Cardiology.
This research suggests that metabolic surgery could be a promising approach for people with heart failure, especially since obesity is not only a common factor but also a significant cause of the condition.
The researchers analyzed over 2,300 patient records from 2017 to 2023, focusing on 63 patients who had heart failure before undergoing metabolic surgery. They found that, on average, these patients lost 29% of their body weight within two years of surgery.
This weight loss was accompanied by a significant 65% reduction in diuretic use, indicating that metabolic surgery could help relieve heart failure symptoms, reducing the need for ongoing medication.
Dr. Philip Schauer, Director of the Metamor Institute, noted that these findings add to the growing list of benefits associated with metabolic surgery.
He emphasized that this type of surgery may offer heart failure patients not only weight loss but also improved quality of life by reducing dependency on medications.
Since obesity and heart failure often occur together, finding ways to manage weight could be a valuable step in managing heart failure as well.
For those unfamiliar, diuretics, or “water pills,” are medications that help the kidneys remove extra salt and water from the body, which can reduce blood pressure and ease the heart’s workload.
In heart failure patients, the heart has difficulty pumping blood effectively, often leading to fluid retention, swelling, and increased pressure on blood vessels.
Diuretics help alleviate these symptoms by preventing fluid buildup, which can reduce swelling and make it easier for the heart to function.
Dr. Denzil Moraes, Chief Medical Director of the Heart and Vascular Institute at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, pointed out that the findings are particularly relevant for South Louisiana, where both obesity and heart failure rates are high.
He believes that ongoing research into metabolic surgery’s benefits can help improve health outcomes and quality of life for people struggling with these conditions.
The researchers hope that, with more studies, metabolic surgery will become an accepted approach for managing heart failure in patients struggling with obesity.
As Dr. John Kirwan, Executive Director of Pennington Biomedical, explained, this study provides further evidence that metabolic surgery is not only safe but also effective in providing a range of health benefits for people with obesity and related conditions.
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The research findings can be found in The American Journal of Cardiology.
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