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.