Abstract
Background
Obesity is associated with cardiac dysfunction, atherosclerosis, and increased cardiovascular risk. It can be lead to obesity cardiomyopathy and severe heart failure, which in turn raise morbidity and mortality while carrying a negative impact on quality of life. There is increasing clinical and mechanistic evidence on the metabolic and weight loss effects of bariatric surgery on improving cardiac structure and function in obese patients.
Objectives
The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of bariatric surgery on cardiac structure and function by appraising cardiac imaging changes before and after metabolic operations.
Methods
This is a comprehensive systematic review of studies reporting pre-operative and post-operative echocardiographic or magnetic resonance cardiac indices in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Studies were quality scored, and data were meta-analyzed using random effects modeling.
Results
Bariatric surgery is associated with significant improvements in the weighted incidence of a number of cardiac indices including a decrease in left ventricular mass index (11.2 %, 95 % confidence intervals (CI) 8.2–14.1 %), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (13.28 ml, 95 % CI 5.22–21.34 ml), and left atrium diameter (1.967 mm, 95 % CI 0.980–2.954). There were beneficial increases in left ventricular ejection fraction (1.198 %, 95 %CI −0.050–2.347) and E/A ratio (0.189 %, 95 %CI −0.113–0.265).
Conclusions
Bariatric surgery offers beneficial cardiac effects on diastolic function, systolic function, and myocardial structure in obese patients. These may derive from surgical modulation of an enterocardiac axis. Future studies must focus on higher evidence levels to better identify the most successful bariatric approaches in preventing and treating the broad spectrum of obesity-associated heart disease while also enhancing treatment strategies in the management of obesity cardiomyopathy.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- LVMI:
-
Left ventricular mass index
- LVESV:
-
Left ventricular end-systolic volume
- LVESD:
-
Left ventricular end-systolic diameter
- LVEDV:
-
Left ventricular end-diastolic volume
- LVEDD:
-
Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter
- LVEF:
-
Left ventricular ejection fraction
- PWT:
-
Posterior wall thickness
- IVST:
-
Interventricular septal thickness
- RWT:
-
Relative wall thickness
- IVRT:
-
Isovolumic relaxation time
References
WHO. Obesity and overweight—fact sheet No. 311. (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/). 2015.
WHO. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)—fact sheet No. 317 (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs317/en/). 2015.
Ashrafian H, le Roux CW, Darzi A, et al. Effects of bariatric surgery on cardiovascular function. Circulation. 2008;118(20):2091–102.
Grundy SM. Pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular risk. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012;59(7):635–43.
Kasper EK, Hruban RH, Baughman KL. Cardiomyopathy of obesity: a clinicopathologic evaluation of 43 obese patients with heart failure. Am J Cardiol. 1992;70(9):921–4.
Kenchaiah S, Evans JC, Levy D, et al. Obesity and the risk of heart failure. N Engl J Med. 2002;347(5):305–13.
Pritchett AM, Deswal A, Aguilar D, et al. Lifestyle modification with diet and exercise in obese patients with heart failure—a pilot study. J Obes Weight Loss Ther. 2012;2(2):1–8.
Tuah NA, Amiel C, Qureshi S, et al. Transtheoretical model for dietary and physical exercise modification in weight loss management for overweight and obese adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;10:CD008066.
Johns DJ, Hartmann-Boyce J, Jebb SA, et al. Diet or exercise interventions vs combined behavioral weight management programs: a systematic review and meta-analysis of direct comparisons. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014;114(10):1557–68.
Cuspidi C, Rescaldani M, Tadic M, et al. Effects of bariatric surgery on cardiac structure and function: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Hypertens. 2014;27(2):146–56.
Vest AR, Heneghan HM, Agarwal S, et al. Bariatric surgery and cardiovascular outcomes: a systematic review. Heart. 2012;98(24):1763–77.
Kokkinos A, Alexiadou K, Liaskos C, et al. Improvement in cardiovascular indices after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity. Obes Surg. 2013;23(1):31–8.
Alpert MA, Terry BE, Mulekar M, et al. Cardiac morphology and left ventricular function in normotensive morbidly obese patients with and without congestive heart failure, and effect of weight loss. Am J Cardiol. 1997;80(6):736–40.
Bottini PB, Carr AA, Prisant LM, et al. Magnetic resonance imaging compared to echocardiography to assess left ventricular mass in the hypertensive patient. Am J Hypertens. 1995;8(3):221–8.
Lauer MS, Anderson KM, Kannel WB, et al. The impact of obesity on left ventricular mass and geometry. The Framingham heart study. JAMA. 1991;266(2):231–6.
Rider OJ, Lewandowski A, Nethononda R, et al. Gender-specific differences in left ventricular remodelling in obesity: insights from cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. Eur Heart J. 2013;34(4):292–9.
Paulus WJ, Tschope C, Sanderson JE, et al. How to diagnose diastolic heart failure: a consensus statement on the diagnosis of heart failure with normal left ventricular ejection fraction by the heart failure and echocardiography associations of the european society of cardiology. Eur Heart J. 2007;28(20):2539–50.
Abhayaratna WP, Seward JB, Appleton CP, et al. Left atrial size: physiologic determinants and clinical applications. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006;47(12):2357–63.
Ashrafian H, Toma T, Rowland SP, et al. Bariatric surgery or non-surgical weight loss for obstructive sleep apnoea? A systematic review and comparison of meta-analyses. Obes Surg. 2014;25:1239–50.
Ashrafian H, le Roux CW, Rowland SP, et al. Metabolic surgery and obstructive sleep apnoea: the protective effects of bariatric procedures. Thorax. 2012;67(5):442–9.
Alpert MA, Terry BE, Lambert CR, et al. Factors influencing left ventricular systolic function in nonhypertensive morbidly obese patients, and effect of weight loss induced by gastroplasty. Am J Cardiol. 1993;71(8):733–7.
Alpert MA, Lambert CR, Panayiotou H, et al. Relation of duration of morbid obesity to left ventricular mass, systolic function, and diastolic filling, and effect of weight loss. Am J Cardiol. 1995;76(16):1194–7.
Ristow B, Rabkin J, Haeusslein E. Improvement in dilated cardiomyopathy after bariatric surgery. J Card Fail. 2008;14(3):198–202.
Garza CA, Pellikka PA, Somers VK, et al. Structural and functional changes in left and right ventricles after major weight loss following bariatric surgery for morbid obesity. Am J Cardiol. 2010;105(4):550–6.
Ashrafian H, Athanasiou T, le Roux CW. Heart remodelling and obesity: the complexities and variation of cardiac geometry. Heart. 2011;97(3):171–2.
Rider OJ, Petersen SE, Francis JM, et al. Ventricular hypertrophy and cavity dilatation in relation to body mass index in women with uncomplicated obesity. Heart. 2011;97(3):203–8.
Ashrafian H, Bueter M, Ahmed K, et al. Metabolic surgery: an evolution through bariatric animal models. Obes Rev. 2010;11(12):907–20.
Ashrafian H, Athanasiou T, Li JV, et al. Diabetes resolution and hyperinsulinaemia after metabolic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Obes Rev. 2011;12(5):e257–72.
Ashrafian H, Darzi A, Athanasiou T. Autobionics: a new paradigm in regenerative medicine and surgery. Regen Med. 2010;5(2):279–88.
Li JV, Ashrafian H, Bueter M, et al. Metabolic surgery profoundly influences gut microbial-host metabolic cross-talk. Gut. 2011;60(9):1214–23.
Ashrafian H, le Roux CW. Metabolic surgery and gut hormones—a review of bariatric entero-humoral modulation. Physiol Behav. 2009;97(5):620–31.
Chatelain P, Robberecht P, de Neef P, et al. Low responsiveness of cardiac adenylate cyclase activity to peptide hormones in spontaneously hypertensive rats. FEBS Lett. 1979;107(1):86–90.
Ashrafian H, Li JV, Spagou K, et al. Bariatric surgery modulates circulating and cardiac metabolites. J Proteome Res. 2014;13(2):570–80.
Fenske W, Athanasiou T, Harling L, et al. Obesity-related cardiorenal disease: the benefits of bariatric surgery. Nat Rev Nephrol. 2013;9(9):539–51.
Nikolaidis LA, Mankad S, Sokos GG, et al. Effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 in patients with acute myocardial infarction and left ventricular dysfunction after successful reperfusion. Circulation. 2004;109(8):962–5.
Sokos GG, Nikolaidis LA, Mankad S, et al. Glucagon-like peptide-1 infusion improves left ventricular ejection fraction and functional status in patients with chronic heart failure. J Card Fail. 2006;12(9):694–9.
Nagaya N, Moriya J, Yasumura Y, et al. Effects of ghrelin administration on left ventricular function, exercise capacity, and muscle wasting in patients with chronic heart failure. Circulation. 2004;110(24):3674–9.
Nijhuis J, van Dielen FM, Buurman WA, et al. Ghrelin, leptin and insulin levels after restrictive surgery: a 2-year follow-up study. Obes Surg. 2004;14(6):783–7.
Perego L, Pizzocri P, Corradi D, et al. Circulating leptin correlates with left ventricular mass in morbid (grade III) obesity before and after weight loss induced by bariatric surgery: a potential role for leptin in mediating human left ventricular hypertrophy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005;90(7):4087–93.
Alpert MA, Nusair MB, Mukerji R, et al. Effect of weight loss on ventricular repolarization in normotensive severely obese patients with and without heart failure. Am J Med Sci. 2015;349(1):17–23.
Kaier TE, Morgan D, Grapsa J, et al. Ventricular remodelling post-bariatric surgery: is the type of surgery relevant? A prospective study with 3D speckle tracking. Eur Heart J Cardiol Img. 2014;15(11):1256–62.
van Schinkel LD, Sleddering MA, Lips MA, et al. Effects of bariatric surgery on pericardial ectopic fat depositions and cardiovascular function. Clin Endocrinol. 2014;81(5):689–95.
Graziani F, Leone AM, Cialdella P, et al. Effects of bariatric surgery on cardiac remodeling: clinical and pathophysiologic implications. Int J Cardiol. 2013;168(4):4277–9.
Iancu ME, Copaescu C, Serban M, et al. Favorable changes in arterial elasticity, left ventricular mass, and diastolic function after significant weight loss following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in obese individuals. Obes Surg. 2014;24(3):364–70.
Martin J, Bergeron S, Pibarot P, et al. Impact of bariatric surgery on N-terminal fragment of the prohormone brain natriuretic peptide and left ventricular diastolic function. Can J Cardiol. 2013;29(8):969–75.
Damiano S, De Marco M, Del Genio F, et al. Effect of bariatric surgery on left ventricular geometry and function in severe obesity. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2012;6(3):e175–262.
Luaces M, Martinez-Martinez E, Medina M, et al. The impact of bariatric surgery on renal and cardiac functions in morbidly obese patients. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2012;27 Suppl 4:iv53–7.
Koshino Y, Villarraga HR, Somers VK, et al. Changes in myocardial mechanics in patients with obesity following major weight loss after bariatric surgery. Obesity. 2013;21(6):1111–8.
Cavarretta E, Casella G, Cali B, et al. Cardiac remodeling in obese patients after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. World J Surg. 2013;37(3):565–72.
Luaces M, Cachofeiro V, Garcia-Munoz-Najar A, et al. Anatomical and functional alterations of the heart in morbid obesity. Changes after bariatric surgery. Rev Esp Cardiol. 2012;65(1):14–21.
Michalsky MP, Raman SV, Teich S, et al. Cardiovascular recovery following bariatric surgery in extremely obese adolescents: preliminary results using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. J Pediatr Surg. 2013;48(1):170–7.
McCloskey CA, Ramani GV, Mathier MA, et al. Bariatric surgery improves cardiac function in morbidly obese patients with severe cardiomyopathy. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2007;3(5):503–7.
Lin CH, Kurup S, Herrero P, et al. Myocardial oxygen consumption change predicts left ventricular relaxation improvement in obese humans after weight loss. Obesity. 2011;19(9):1804–12.
Valezi AC, Machado VH. Morphofunctional evaluation of the heart of obese patients before and after bariatric surgery. Obes Surg. 2011;21(11):1693–7.
Schneiter SM, Warrier R, Lefkovits L, et al. Effects of weight loss on pericardial fat and left ventricular mass assessed with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in morbid obesity. Int J Clin Med. 2011;2:360–6.
Owan T, Avelar E, Morley K, et al. Favorable changes in cardiac geometry and function following gastric bypass surgery: 2-year follow-up in the Utah obesity study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011;57(6):732–9.
Algahim MF, Lux TR, Leichman JG, et al. Progressive regression of left ventricular hypertrophy two years after bariatric surgery. Am J Med. 2010;123(6):549–55.
Syed M, Torosoff M, Rosati C, et al. Effect of comorbidities and medications on left ventricular mass regression after bariatric surgery. J Clin Hypertens. 2010;12(3):223–7.
Hsuan CF, Huang CK, Lin JW, et al. The effect of surgical weight reduction on left ventricular structure and function in severe obesity. Obesity. 2010;18(6):1188–93.
Rider OJ, Francis JM, Ali MK, et al. Beneficial cardiovascular effects of bariatric surgical and dietary weight loss in obesity. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009;54(8):718–26.
Jhaveri RR, Pond KK, Hauser TH, et al. Cardiac remodeling after substantial weight loss: a prospective cardiac magnetic resonance study after bariatric surgery. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2009;5(6):648–52.
Leichman JG, Wilson EB, Scarborough T, et al. Dramatic reversal of derangements in muscle metabolism and left ventricular function after bariatric surgery. Am J Med. 2008;121(11):966–73.
Ippisch HM, Inge TH, Daniels SR, et al. Reversibility of cardiac abnormalities in morbidly obese adolescents. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2008;51(14):1342–8.
Di Bello V, Santini F, Di Cori A, et al. Effects of bariatric surgery on early myocardial alterations in adult severely obese subjects. Cardiology. 2008;109(4):241–8.
Nault I, Nadreau E, Paquet C, et al. Impact of bariatric surgery-induced weight loss on heart rate variability. Metab Clin Exp. 2007;56(10):1425–30.
Maniscalco M, Arciello A, Zedda A, et al. Right ventricular performance in severe obesity. Effect of weight loss. Eur J Clin Investig. 2007;37(4):270–5.
Cunha Lde C, da Cunha CL, de Souza AM, et al. Evolutive echocardiographic study of the structural and functional heart alterations in obese individuals after bariatric surgery. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2006;87(5):615–22.
Ikonomidis I, Mazarakis A, Papadopoulos C, et al. Weight loss after bariatric surgery improves aortic elastic properties and left ventricular function in individuals with morbid obesity: a 3-year follow-up study. J Hypertens. 2007;25(2):439–47.
Leichman JG, Aguilar D, King TM, et al. Improvements in systemic metabolism, anthropometrics, and left ventricular geometry 3 months after bariatric surgery. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2006;2(6):592–9.
Willens HJ, Chakko SC, Byers P, et al. Effects of weight loss after gastric bypass on right and left ventricular function assessed by tissue Doppler imaging. Am J Cardiol. 2005;95(12):1521–4.
Kanoupakis E, Michaloudis D, Fraidakis O, et al. Left ventricular function and cardiopulmonary performance following surgical treatment of morbid obesity. Obes Surg. 2001;11(5):552–8.
Karason K, Wallentin I, Larsson B, et al. Effects of obesity and weight loss on cardiac function and valvular performance. Obes Res. 1998;6(6):422–9.
Gahtan V, Goode SE, Kurto HZ, et al. Body composition and source of weight loss after bariatric surgery. Obes Surg. 1997;7(3):184–8.
Alpert MA, Lambert CR, Terry BE, et al. Effect of weight loss on left ventricular diastolic filling in morbid obesity. Am J Cardiol. 1995;76(16):1198–201.
Alaud-din A, Meterissian S, Lisbona R, et al. Assessment of cardiac function in patients who were morbidly obese. Surgery. 1990;108(4):809–18. discussion 18-20.
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge Dr. Oliver Rider of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Radcliffe Department of Medicine (RDM), University of Oxford, who kindly shared original data from his study.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.
Ethical Approval
For this type of study, formal consent is not required.
Financial Disclosure
None.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Aggarwal, R., Harling, L., Efthimiou, E. et al. The Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Cardiac Structure and Function: a Systematic Review of Cardiac Imaging Outcomes. OBES SURG 26, 1030–1040 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-015-1866-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-015-1866-5