The incidence of cardiac arrhythmias during exercise stress testing: a focus on patients with severe obesity undergoing sleeve gastrectomy

Introduction: Obesity is associated with a higher risk of cardiac arrhythmias. Sleeve Gastrectomy (SG) is a common bariatric surgery with beneficial effects on weight loss and comorbidities. The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of arrhythmias during maximal exercise testing in patients with moderate-severe obesity and to evaluate the impact of SG on these arrhythmic events. Methods: All patients with moderate or severe obesity who were considered suitable candidates for SG between June 2015 and September 2020 were recruited. Each patient underwent three incremental, maximal, ECG-monitored cardiopulmonary exercise test one month before and six and twelve months after SG; the frequency and complexity of ventricular premature beats (VPBs) and atrial premature beats (APBs) have been evaluated during rest, exercise and recovery phases. Results: 50 patients with severe obesity (BMI 46.39 ±7.89 kg/m2) were included in the study. After SG, patients presented a decreased BMI (34.15 ± 6.25 kg/m2 at six months post-SG and 31.87 ± 5.99 kg/m2 at twelve months post-SG). At six months post-SG, an increase in VPBs, mainly during the recovery phase, was observed. At twelve months post-SG, a reduction in VPBs compared with the six months evaluation was showed. Conclusion: Although in the early post-surgical phase the risk of exercise-induced arrhythmias may be higher, SG does not seem to increase the occurrence of arrhythmias in the long-term. No life-threating arrhythmias were found during post-SG evaluations.