Background

Severe obesity is associated with considerable reduction of wellbeing and life expectancy.People living with severe obesity tend to die 8 to 10 years earlier. Preoperativemanagement of patients living with severe obesity can be challenging and proper weight-loss may help obtain better outcomes and less morbidity.Objective:To evaluate whether Liraglutide is effective in promoting preoperative weight loss to reduce morbidity and mortality in severely obese individuals undergoing bariatric procedures.

Methods

A single-center, prospective before-and-after study was conducted. Adults with a body mass index (BMI) >= 48 kg/m2 preparing for bariatric-metabolic surgery received escalating doses of Liraglutide, reaching up to 3.0 mg per day administered subcutaneously over a 3-month period. Weight assessment using bioelectric impedance (BIA) was conducted monthly until week 12. Statistical analysis included descriptive and inferential tests (p<0.05).

Results

Thirty-seven participants (76% female, average age 44 years) were included between July and October 2022. The mean initial weight was 147.4 +- 14.9 kg, significantly decreasing to 139.3 +- 16.8 kg after treatment (p<0.000). 94.6% experienced some degree of weight loss, with only 5.40% showing no changes. The average weight loss achieved was 5.46% over the 3-month period.

Conclusions

Liraglutide demonstrated effectiveness as an adjunct therapy for preoperative weight loss in severely obese patients. These findings suggest its potential in pre-surgical management, potentially enhancing surgical outcomes and reducing morbidity in this patient population