Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in morbidly obese patients with end-stage heart failure and left ventricular assist...

Morbid obesity precludes patients with end-stage heart failure from becoming cardiac transplant candidates. This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) as a means to transplant candidacy in such patients.

Morbidly obese patients with end-stage heart failure, who were ineligible for cardiac transplantation and underwent LSG between 2008 and 2013, were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic characteristics, perioperative details, percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL), and status of transplant candidacy were analyzed.

Six patients (3 men) with end-stage heart failure and morbid obesity underwent LSG. Three patients (50%) had a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in place at the time of surgery. Median age was 34 (31-66) years and mean preoperative body mass index (BMI) was 47.6±3.0 kg/m2. Median operative time was 90 (66-141) minutes, with a median length of stay of 7 (4-16) days. There were no perioperative deaths. One patient suffered a spontaneous flank hematoma. The same patient also had thrombosis of the LVAD pump at 3 weeks postoperatively, requiring an uneventful device exchange. At median follow-up of 22 (12-70) months, the mean %EWL was 51.4±10.3% with a decrease in BMI to 34.3±2.4 kg/m2 (P<.05). All patients had lost sufficient weight to become transplant eligible within 12 months of surgery. Two patients had undergone successful transplantation and another 2 were on the transplant list.

LSG appears to be a safe, technically feasible, and effective method for obtaining adequate weight loss in morbidly obese patients with end-stage heart failure and mechanical circulatory support, subsequently improving their access to cardiac transplantation. This is the largest case series to date of this high-risk group of patients undergoing LSG.