Study: Bariatric surgery improves kidney transplant eligibility for patients with obesity

Editor's Note

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy improves eligibility for kidney transplants in patients with obesity as well as advanced chronic kidney disease, according to a Mayo Clinic study. According to a May 2 report on the results, the surgical weight-loss procedure also reduces the risk of cardiovascular conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension.

The retrospective study involved 104 patients with advanced chronic kidney failure and obesity who were treated at Mayo Clinic between 2020 and 2023, Mayo Clinic reports. Fifty-four underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and 50 opted for nonsurgical weight-loss. In the former group, the intervention reduced time to be added to transplant waiting lists. Additionally, 37% of those who underwent sleeve gastrectomy receiving a transplant within 18 months, versus 10% in the nonsurgical cohort.

"In earlier research, we found that conservative weight-loss approaches do not adequately result in significant weight loss in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease," says Aleksandra Kukla, M.D., a Mayo Clinic transplant nephrologist and the study's first author. "These new findings support the value of surgical gastrectomy for patients with advanced chronic kidney failure, stage 4-5D, to improve general health and access to kidney transplantation."