Mid-term Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Cardiac Structure and Function.

Obesity is an increasingly prevalent cardiovascular risk factor. It implies a hemodynamic overload, leading to functional anatomical changes in the heart, with ventricular hypertrophy and systo-diastolic dysfunction. The most effective treatment is bariatric surgery, which has a cardioprotective effect, improving ventricular geometry and function. We analyzed medium-term structural and functional changes in the hearts of patients with morbid obesity who had bariatric surgery. This was a prospective study of patients with morbid obesity followed up in the Obesity Unit and referred for bariatric surgery between January 2010 and June 2014. Patients with coronary artery disease, valve disease, cardiomyopathies, or congenital heart disease were excluded. Patients had an echocardiogram 1 month before and 6 months after surgery. The assessments were performed by an experienced examiner, who did not know if it was the first or second study. For the left ventricular (LV) geometry study, M-mode was used to obtain ventricular diameters, wall thickness, and relative wall thickness (RWT):