Left Ventricular Diastolic Function in Morbidly Obese Patients in the Preoperative for Bariatric Surgery

Background: Obesity is a chronic and multifactorial disease, associated with increased cardiovascular risk, especially diastolic heart failure. Objective: To evaluate left ventricular diastolic function in morbidly obese patients in the pre-operative for bariatric surgery, correlating it with cardiovascular risk factors and heart structure. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with 132 patients eligible for bariatric surgery submitted to transthoracic echocardiography assessment and of cardiovascular risk factors, as follows: 97 women (73.5%), mean age 38.5 +/- 10.5 years and BMI of 43.7 +/- 7.2 kg / m(2). Patients were divided into three groups: 61 with normal diastolic function, 24 with mild diastolic dysfunction and 47 with moderate/severe diastolic dysfunction, of which 41 with moderate diastolic dysfunction (pseudonormal pattern) and six with severe diastolic dysfunction (restrictive pattern). Results: Hypertension, age and gender were different in the groups with diastolic dysfunction. Groups with dysfunction had higher left atrial diameter, left ventricular diameter, left atrial volume in four and two chambers, left atrial volume index and left ventricular mass index corrected for body surface area and height. Conclusion: The high frequency of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in the preclinical phase in morbidly obese patients justifies the need for careful echocardiographic assessment, aiming at identifying individuals at higher risk, so that early intervention measures can be carried out. (Arq Bras Cardiol 2012; 98(4): 300-306)