Subjects
Consecutive adult patients with class III obesity who were candidates
for bariatric surgery were considered for entry into the study. Class
III obesity was defined as body mass index ≥ 40
kg/m2.8 Patients < 18
years of age, those with a history of chest pain within 6 months of
evaluation, and patients with an established history of CVD (other than
systemic hypertension) including CAD were excluded from the study.
Patients with current hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, severe
bradycardia (< 40 beats/min), and those with a resting heart
rate >110 beats/min, including those with supraventricular
tachyarrhythmias and ventricular tachycardia and patients with a blood
pressure ≥ 180/110 mmHg on multiple encounters were excluded from the
study.