Cardiovascular benefits of bariatric surgery

The prevalence of obesity is increasing in the United States and worldwide, bringing with it an excess of morbidity and premature death. Obesity is strongly associated with both traditional cardiovascular risk factors as well as direct effects on hemodynamics and cardiovascular structure and function. In fact, cardiovascular disease is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in obese patients. Often, lifestyle and pharmacological weight-loss interventions are of limited efficacy in severely obese patients. Bariatric surgery has been shown to be a feasible option to achieve substantial and sustained weight loss in this group of patients. It is a safe procedure with low in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates even in groups that are considered higher risk for surgery (e.g., the elderly), especially if performed in high-volume centers. There is observational evidence that bariatric surgery in severely obese patients is associated with both a reduction of traditional cardiovascular risk factors as well as improvement in cardiac structure and function. Marked decreases in the levels of inflammatory and prothrombotic markers, as well as markers of subclinical atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction, are seen after bariatric surgery. This article summarizes the existing evidence regarding the cardiovascular benefits in patients following bariatric surgery.