Welcome to the Bariatric Learning Center. We publish independent, unbiased news about the bariatric weight-loss surgery.
A recent study, presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2010, found that morbidly obese people with heart failure (HF) can benefit from bariatric weight-loss surgery. The study suggested that patients will enjoy various improvements of HF symptoms after having such surgery.
The researchers studied the post-surgery results of 13 patients who underwent bariatric surgery at the Mayo Clinic facility over a 15-year period. This group was compared to six heart-failure patients who did not undergo any type of surgery.
If those numbers seem small to you, that’s because they are. Looking at 13 patients over a 15-year period can hardly be considered statistically valid — or scientifically useful. Mayo Clinic’s Francisco Lopez-Jiminez, MD, said the following in a press release: “these results should be considered preliminary and suggestive of some benefit, but additional research is needed to confirm these results.”
If further studies are conducted in this area, it may be very meaningful for obese people who also suffer from heart failure. It has the potential to reduce the symptoms of HF, while reducing the patient’s weight at the same time. The combined health benefits of such a surgery could be significant, though certainly not without risk.
Bariatric weight-loss surgery is one of the most heavily researched fields of medicine right now. So there will likely be more research of this nature in the future. We will keep you posted as to any new developments that arise.
