Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist drugs may reduce the risk of surgical complications in diabetic patients, according to a large new study.
The study showed diabetic patients taking GLP-1 drugs, such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, faced significantly lower risks of 30-day readmission, wound re-opening and hematoma after surgery, compared to patients with diabetes who were not using the medications.
Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine, Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian, all based in New York City, evaluated de-identified EHR data for nearly 22,000 patients with diabetes who underwent 74,425 surgical procedures between February 2020 to July 2023. The findings were published Dec. 20 in Annals of Surgery, showing the cohort of patients taking GLP-1 drugs experienced a:
- 12% lower risk of hospital readmission within 30 days
- 29% lower risk of wound re-opening within six months
- 56% lower risk of hematoma
"These findings from such a large number of patients and procedures suggest that taking these drugs shouldn’t worsen overall post-surgical complications and may even reduce the likelihood of some of them," Jason Spector, MD, senior author of the study and chief of the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine, said in a news release.
The researchers are now examining whether GLP-1 drugs have similar effects on post-surgical complications in non-diabetic patients. They also plan to investigate the biological mechanisms behind the drugs' impact on wound healing and other outcomes.