Gastric Bypass after Cardiac Transplantation

A 39-year-old morbidly obese male presented with severe and poorly controlled diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HBP) as well as moderately severe obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) that threatened the survival of his cardiac graft which had been transplanted 7 years previously. A gastric bypass procedure with a 45-cm Roux-limb was performed. His OHS resolved, his DM became undetectable off medication, and his HBP medication was significantly reduced with good control. His maximum excess weight loss was 95%. Importantly, his Cyclosporine and Imuran anti-rejection therapy was maintained without any difficulty attributable to the gastric bypass procedure until his sudden death in late November 1994, 2.75 years following the gastric bypass procedure.