Given that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are the latest major trend in clinical weight loss solutions, Dr. Bonati of the Bonati Spine Institute wants patients who take those drugs to understand how to approach surgical procedures.
HUDSON, Fla. — A spine surgeon from Florida is offering his advice to those taking GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro who also need a surgical procedure..
Right now, there are differing opinions on when or if patients taking GLP-1s should halt their use of the drugs before surgery.
Typically, the evening before a surgery that requires general anesthesia, patients are instructed by their doctor not to eat, drink or take medications. That policy reduces the likelihood of aspiration while the patient is under general anesthesia, which can lead to choking and even death.
However, explains Dr. Alfred Bonati, the founder of the Bonati Spine Institute in Florida, those taking GLP-1s should cease taking the drugs weeks before surgery, just to be safe. Since GLP-1s slow digestion to help the patient achieve weight loss, there may still be gastric contents in the stomach on the day of their surgery, putting them at risk for complications like the ones mentioned above.
“Extra weight puts pressure on the spine and could lead to more medical problems. But doctors have to be very careful with drugs like Ozempic, and should be advising patients to stop using the drug and others like it well before surgery,” said Dr. Bonati.
At the Bonati Spine Institute, this problem is alleviated due to the fact that Dr. Bonati does not use general anesthesia on his patients. Instead, he uses only a local anesthesia where the incisions for his minimally-invasive surgeries are made, and his patients are put under conscious IV sedation so they remain awake, conscious and communicative during the entire procedure.
Dr. Bonati has completed nearly 80,000 surgical procedures using conscious IV sedation, and was the first spine surgeon in America to not use general anesthesia on his patients. Since Dr. Bonati’s success with conscious IV sedation, some other surgeons around the country have adopted that technique.
“Ultimately, if you are taking a drug like Ozempic, you should be very cautious of being given general anesthesia during a surgical procedure,” he said. “At my practice and with my technique, we are fortunate to not have to worry about this issue. In many cases, people who are told by other doctors that they are too heavy to have surgery come to us because we don’t use general anesthesia. If that is your case, we would love for you to reach out before taking drastic measures like using GLP-1 drugs to lose weight rapidly so you can get the surgery you need.”
About The Bonati Spine Institute:
For almost 40 years, The Bonati Spine Institute, led by Dr. Alfred O. Bonati, has provided world class surgical treatment to patients suffering from spine pain. Dr. Bonati and his team of highly trained specialists have successfully performed more than 80,000 patented procedures, helping patients with spine pathologies. While the Bonati Spine Institute is located in the Tampa Bay area, patients from all over the world have sought Dr. Bonati’s care, often after other doctors tried and failed to relieve their pain. Of those patients seen, 65 percent have had a history of failed back surgery prior to coming to the Bonati Spine Institute. The Bonati Spine Institute has received a patient-reported satisfaction rate of higher than 98 percent.