Real-World Tirzepatide Therapy in Post-Bariatric Weight Regain and Preoperative Obesity Patients

Obesity is a chronic and progressive disease that often requires long-term management. Although bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for severe obesity, a significant proportion of patients experience weight regain several years after surgery. In addition, many patients with obesity require medical treatment before surgery to reduce surgical risk and improve perioperative outcomes. In both situations, there is a growing need for effective and well-tolerated pharmacological therapies that can be integrated into routine clinical care. Tirzepatide is a dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that has demonstrated significant effects on body weight reduction and metabolic control. While its efficacy has been established in randomized clinical trials, data on its use in real-world clinical practice, particularly in post-bariatric patients with weight regain and in patients undergoing preoperative obesity management, are still limited. This multicenter observational cohort study evaluates the real-world use of tirzepatide in adult patients managed within routine bariatric and metabolic care pathways. The study includes two patient populations: individuals with clinically significant weight regain after sleeve gastrectomy and patients with obesity treated with tirzepatide as part of preoperative medical optimization before planned surgical intervention. All patients receive tirzepatide according to standard clinical practice, without any experimental procedures or protocol-mandated treatment changes. Clinical, anthropometric, and metabolic data are collected at baseline and during scheduled follow-up visits, in accordance with routine care. The primary objective is to assess changes in body weight over time. Secondary objectives include evaluation of metabolic parameters, treatment tolerability, and the occurrence of adverse events. Safety data are collected as part of standard clinical monitoring. By analyzing outcomes in a real-world setting, this study aims to provide clinically meaningful evidence on the effectiveness and safety of tirzepatide outside of controlled trial environments. The results are intended to support clinicians in decision-making for the management of obesity in complex clinical scenarios, such as post-bariatric weight regain and preoperative optimization, and to better define the role of pharmacological therapy as part of an integrated, long-term obesity care strategy.