Overweight patients pending operations could safely use a particular type of weight loss treatment to reduce the risk of surgical complications related to their obesity, reveals a new study.
The study highlights the agonists of Peptide-1 receptors of the Glucagon type (GLP-1 RAS) as a promising drug given before surgery which helps control blood sugar and support weight loss-potentially improve surgical results and reduce health charges associated with obesity.
However, researchers highlight an urgent need for high -quality randomized trials to validate these results, assess profitability and guide the implementation of drugs in various surgical systems.
Publishing their results today (August 12) in EclinicalMedicine, experts reveal that GLP-1 therapy has led to a weight reduction of up to 16.7 kg over six months, suggesting its potential as an evolutionary preoperative measure.
They analyzed the data of 21 studies encompassing more than 97,000 surgical patients, 31.9% of which received preoperative therapy of GLP-1-discovering that, in 12 studies reporting postoperative results, the use of the drug was not associated with an increased risk.
The principal author, Dr. Sivesh Kamarajah, of the University of Birmingham, said: “Obese people are facing higher risks during surgical procedures, therefore measures that help reduce their weight before surgery can help improve their chances of avoiding postoperative complications.
“Our results question the current directives concerning the potential patients of safety of patients under GLP-1 undergoing surgery-these directives are based on opinions rather than high quality evidence.
“GLP-1 therapies can offer a transformative approach to surgical optimization, but solid evidence is necessary to clarify clinical guidelines and health policy. Given the scale of the obesity epidemic and surgical demand, priority to research in this area is essential.
The RAS GLP-1 were initially developed for the management of type 2 diabetes, but have become a powerful agent for weight loss. However, their perioperative security has remained uncertain, in particular in the midst of concerns about the delay in gastric emptying and the risk of aspiration.
Obesity remains a major global public health challenge, especially in surgical patients, where it can be associated with an increased risk around the operation and in the longer term. Although preoperative weight management strategies are often used to mitigate these risks, evolutionary interventions remain limited.
The risk of surgery in obese people is also high but varies according to the surgical specialty. About a third of obese patients have surgery – most of these procedures, such as those in cancer, are essential.
We do not consider GLP-1 as a routine intervention for weight loss in clinical practice, because the clinic and the profitability of a wider use remains uncertain-emphasizing more the need for a trial. “”
Dr Siveseh Kamarajah, principal author of the University of Birmingham