Weight loss and diabetes management drug linked to increased residual gastric content before anesthesia
Safety concerns for patients undergoing anesthesia who use glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), which are medications approved for diabetes and weight management, were revealed in a UTHealth Houston study published today in JAMA Surgery.
The study was led by first author Sudipta Sen, MD, associate professor; and senior author Omonele Nwokolo, MD, professor, both in the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.
“Our findings were quite surprising. More than half of the patients on a GLP-1 RA had significant gastric contents on gastric ultrasound before an elective procedure, despite adhering to preoperative fasting,” Sen said. “This incidence was significantly higher compared to patients not on a GLP-1 RA, showing a strong link between GLP-1 RA drugs and potential aspiration risk under anesthesia.”
The study was prompted by internal quality reviews led by Nwokolo and Srikanth Sridhar, MD, associate professor in the department, after anecdotal cases of aspiration under anesthesia were reported by staff for patients taking this class of medications for weight loss, despite adequate fasting before the procedure. Aspiration is a potentially dangerous condition where stomach contents enter the lungs.
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