The study highlights glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) as a promising medication given before surgery that help control blood sugar and support weight loss - potentially improving surgical outcomes and reducing healthcare burdens associated with obesity.
However, the researchers stress an urgent need for high-quality randomised trials to validate these findings, assess cost-effectiveness, and guide implementation of the drug across diverse surgical systems.
Publishing their findings in eClinicalMedicine, the experts reveal that GLP-1 therapy led to weight reductions of up to 16.7 kg over six months, suggesting its potential as a scalable preoperative measure.
They analysed data from 21 studies encompassing over 97,000 surgical patients, 31.9% of whom received preoperative GLP-1 therapy – discovering that, across 12 studies reporting postoperative outcomes, use of the medication was not associated with increased risk.
The paper is co-authored by Professor Sheraz Markar, Professor of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery and Director of the Surgical Interventional Trials Unit at the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, who served as a senior author on the study.
Lead author Dr Sivesh Kamarajah, from the University of Birmingham, commented: 'People who are obese face higher risks during surgical procedures, so measures that help to reduce their weight ahead of surgery can help to improve their chances of avoiding post-operative complications.
Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Surgical Science website.