Empagliflozin provides significant value as a treatment option for non-diabetic patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), according to new findings published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Based on previous research, the study’s authors believed SGLT2 inhibitors such as empagliflozin could have a huge impact on left ventricular (LV) function and volumes. They developed the EMPATROPISM trial to see if their hypothesis was correct.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included 84 non-diabetic HFrEF patients who were given either empagliflozin or a placebo for six months. Overall, after the team examined cardiac imaging data, the medication was associated with reductions in both left ventricle end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) and left ventricle end-systolic volumes (LVESV). Improved LV mass and LV ejection fraction were also observed.
In fact, the team added, treatment with empagliflozin was linked to an improvement in the patients’ overall quality of life. This was determined through basic questionnaires that each participant was asked to fill out.
“The EMPATROPISM trial demonstrates the benefits of empagliflozin on LV volumes, mass and systolic function, functional capacity, and quality of life when compared with placebo in non-diabetic HFrEF patients,” wrote co-lead authors Carlos G. Santos-Gallego, MD, and Ariana P Vargas-Delgado, MD, of Mount Sinai Heart in New York City, and colleagues. “Therefore, these data suggest the benefits of SGLT2i in the treatment of HFrEF patients independently of their diabetic status.”
The team did note that they studied “a relatively small” number of patients for this research, and only patients with HFrEF.
The study is available here.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.