Impact of Surgical Weight Loss on Novel P-Wave Variables Which Are Nominated as Predictors of Atrial Arrhythmias

Abstract

Background: Bariatric surgery has been associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in obese patients. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the alterations of novel P-wave related atrial arrhythmia predictors in patients who achieved effective weight loss with bariatric surgery. Methods: The study included 58 patients who underwent bariatric surgery. We measured heart rate, PR, P wave (PW) max, PW min, Average P axis, P wave peak time (PWPT) in lead D2 and lead V1, terminal force in lead V1 (V1TF), and we estimated P wave dispersion (PWdis) interval both pre-operation and 6 months after operation. Results: Heart rate, PR, PW max, PW min, PWdis, Average P axis, PWPTD2, PWPTV1 and V1TF values, which were close to the upper limit in the pre-op period, showed statistically significant decreases at 6 months after the operation. The most prominent changes were observed in PW dis (51.15 ± 9.70 ms vs. 48.79 ± 9.50 ms, p =.010), PWPTD2 (55.75 ± 6.91 ms vs. 50.59 ± 7.67 ms, p <.001), PWPTV1 (54.10 ± 7.06 ms vs. 48.05 ± 7.64 ms, p <.001) and V1TF (25 [43.1%] vs. 12 [20.7%], p <.001). Conclusions: The results of our study indicated that bariatric surgery has positive effects on the regression of ECG parameters which are predictors of atrial arrhythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation (AF). © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC