Combining sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction and diabetes mellitus: A multi-institutional study

Background: Few studies investigated the combination of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) and angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs) in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: During 2016 to 2018, patients with HFrEF and T2DM were identified from Chang Gung Research Database; a database deriving from the original electronic medical records of 7 hospitals in Taiwan. They were classified into four subgroups according to the medications received as follows: 1) SGLT2i and ARNI; 2) SGLT2i and no ARNI; 3) ARNI and no SGLT2i; and 4) no SGLT2i and no ARNI. We examined clinical and safety (hyperkalemia and acute renal dysfunction) outcomes over 1-year of follow-up.

Results: A total of 2312 patients were eligible for analysis, including 169, 285, 338, and 1520 in subgroups 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. There were large differences in baseline characteristics and treatments among subgroups. Subgroup 1 had the lowest rates of HF hospitalizations, all-cause death, and the composite of both, and subgroup 4 had the highest event rates. A similar pattern was observed for the safety outcomes. These differences were attenuated after adjusting for differences in baseline variables and therapy.

Conclusions: Treatment with a combination of SGLT2i and ARNI was well tolerated in diabetic patients with HFrEF and was associated with lower risk of heart failure hospitalization.