Overweight patients waiting for operations could safely usage a peculiar type of weight-loss curen to trim nan consequence of surgical complications linked to their obesity, a caller study reveals.
The study highlights glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) arsenic a promising medicine fixed earlier room that thief power humor sweetener and support weight nonaccomplishment - perchance improving surgical outcomes and reducing healthcare burdens associated pinch obesity.
However, nan researchers accent an urgent request for high-quality randomised tests to validate these findings, measure cost-effectiveness, and guideline implementation of nan supplier crossed divers surgical systems.
Publishing their findings coming (12 Aug) successful eClinicalMedicine, nan experts uncover that GLP-1 therapy led to weight reductions of up to 16.7 kg complete six months, suggesting its imaginable arsenic a scalable preoperative measure.
They analyzed information from 21 studies encompassing complete 97,000 surgical patients, 31.9% of whom received preoperative GLP-1 therapy – discovering that, crossed 12 studies reporting postoperative outcomes, usage of nan medicine was not associated pinch accrued risk.
Lead writer Dr. Sivesh Kamarajah, from nan University of Birmingham, commented: "People who are obese look higher risks during surgical procedures, truthful measures that thief to trim their weight up of room tin thief to amended their chances of avoiding post-operative complications.
"Our findings situation existent guidelines astir imaginable information risks of patients connected GLp-1 undergoing room – this guidance is based connected opinions alternatively than precocious value evidence.
"GLP-1 therapies whitethorn connection a transformative attack to surgical optimisation, but robust grounds is needed to pass objective guidelines and wellness policy. Given nan standard of nan obesity pandemic and surgical demand, prioritizing investigation successful this area is critical.
GLP-1 RAs were primitively developed for type 2 glucosuria guidance but person emerged arsenic a powerful supplier for weight loss. However, their perioperative information has remained uncertain, peculiarly amid concerns astir delayed gastric emptying and aspiration risk.
Obesity remains a awesome world nationalist wellness challenge, peculiarly among surgical patients, wherever it tin beryllium associated pinch accrued consequence astir nan cognition and into nan longer term. While preoperative weight guidance strategies are often utilized to mitigate these risks, scalable interventions stay limited.
The consequence of room successful group who are obese are arsenic precocious but varies according to surgical specialty. Around a 3rd of patients who are obese acquisition room – astir of these procedures, specified arsenic those for cancer, are clip critical.
We are not seeing GLP-1 arsenic a regular involution for weight nonaccomplishment successful objective believe because nan clinical- and cost-effectiveness of wider usage remains uncertain – further highlighting nan request for a trial."
Dr. Sivesh Kamarajah, Lead Author, University of Birmingham
Source:
Journal reference:
Kamarajah, S. K., et al. (2025). Evaluation of information of preoperative GLP-1 receptor agonists successful patients undergoing elective surgery: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression. eClinicalMedicine. doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103408.