Bariatric surgery: A safe and effective conduit to cardiac transplantation

Background: Obesity and obesity-related co-morbidities, including advanced heart failure, are epidemic. Some of these patients will progress to require cardiac allografts as the only means of long-term survival. Unfortunately, without adequate weight loss, they may never be deemed acceptable transplant candidates. Often surgical weight loss may be the only effective and durable option for these complex patients. The objective of this study was to assess whether bariatric surgery is feasible and safe in patients with severe heart failure, which in turn, after adequate weight loss, would allow these patients to be listed for a heart transplant. Methods: Four patients who underwent bariatric procedures, such as laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG), for the purpose of attaining adequate weight loss with the goal to improve their eligibility for orthotopic heart transplants are presented. Results: All patients did well around the time of surgery, and 3 of the 4 progressed to receiving a heart transplant. The fourth patient will be listed pending attaining adequate weight loss. Conclusion: Bariatric surgery may be an important bridge to transplantation for morbidly obese patients with severe heart failure. With the appropriate infrastructure, bariatric surgery is a feasible and effective weight loss method in this population. (C) 2014 American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. All rights reserved.