TUESDAY, Nov. 5, 2024 (HealthDay News) — In a multi-society clinical practice guidance document, published online Oct. 29 in Surgery for obesity and associated diseasesRecommendations are presented for the safe use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 ARs) in the perioperative period.

Noting that GLP-1 ARs have revolutionized the care of patients with metabolic diseases, Tammy L. Kindel, MD, Ph.D., of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, and colleagues developed recommendations for safe use GLP-1 ARs. in the perioperative period.

The authors recommend that the use of GLP-1 RA during the perioperative period be based on shared patient decision-making with the procedural care, anesthesia, and prescribing teams, focusing on the balance between the need metabolic rate in GLP-1 RA and the risk for the patient. Variables that increase the risk of delayed gastric emptying and aspiration should be considered, and their assessment should be performed sufficiently in advance of surgery to allow adjustments to perioperative care, if necessary. Safe use of the GLP-1 RA should include efforts to minimize the risk of delayed gastric emptying aspiration, which may be achieved by preoperative modification of diet and/or modification of anesthesia. If there is concern about delayed gastric emptying, a modification of the preoperative diet (a preoperative liquid diet for at least 24 hours) may be used.

“This multi-society clinical practice document should be considered a guide and not an evidence-based guideline, focusing on shared decision-making and balancing safety processes with the therapeutic metabolic need for the safe continuation of surgical and procedural care in patients taking GLP-1 RAs,” the authors write.

Several authors revealed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

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