ABC.NET.AU – Doctors are being forced to delay surgery for some patients who are on Ozempic-like drugs, which can pose a heightened risk of life-threatening consequences to patients when they are under anaesthesia.
As the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists such as Ozempic have risen, anaesthetists said some patients were failing to declare they were on the medication before showing up for surgery, or had not arrived properly prepared.
GLP-1 drugs are a breakthrough class of medication that mimic the activity of a natural hormone, helping people feel full for longer.
But David Story, president of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA), said they slowed digestion, which could potentially increase the risk of pulmonary aspiration during surgery.
“The major problem we’re trying to prevent is aspiration of gastric contents. That is where someone regurgitates what’s in their stomach, and it’s breathed into their lungs or passes into their trachea,” he said.
“That can lead to either obstruction of the airway, which can be life-threatening … it can lead to chemical or physical injury of the lungs, leading to the situation where a patient may need to go to ICU, and some patients with this condition can die.
“And this is what we’re really concerned about.”
Professor Story said patients were showing up for surgery without telling doctors they were on GLP-1 drugs because they had either forgotten, did not realise it counted as medication, were taking it without a doctor’s oversight, or were embarrassed about using weight loss drugs …
