GLP-1 use was associated with 11% lower odds of major cardiovascular complications and 8% lower odds of infections after surgery, according to a study of more than 2 million adults presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Anesthesiology 2026 annual meeting in San Diego.
The analysis covered U.S. adults who had elective surgeries lasting longer than 60 minutes and stayed in the hospital at least 24 hours afterward between January 2016 and December 2024, according to an Oct. 18 news release.
Of the 2,028,601 patients studied, 145,610, about 7%, were taking GLP-1 medications. After matching users with similar nonusers, researchers found lower odds of heart attack, heart injury, stroke or death, along with fewer surgical site infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia and sepsis cases.
The authors cited several possible explanations: weight loss, improved blood pressure and glucose control, reduced inflammation and potential protection of heart muscle under stress. Better glucose control may also curb infections, since high blood sugar weakens the immune response.
“These results are encouraging, but we need more research to determine if the medications themselves are driving these benefits and how best to manage them before and after surgery,” said lead author Josephine Tolan, MD, an anesthesiologist at the Center for Outcomes Research at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.
Dr. Tolan and her co-authors cautioned that the study does not prove cause and effect. Because the team analyzed existing medical records rather than randomizing patients, other factors may have contributed to the lower complication rates.
The findings arrive as GLP-1s become routine for patients with diabetes or obesity, leaving perioperative teams to determine how to manage the drugs before and after surgery.
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