Effects of SGLT2i therapy on cardiac electrophysiological properties and arrhythmias in diabetic patients with implantable cardiac defibrillator

Sodium-glucose-transporter-2-inhibitors (SGLT2i) reduce ventricular-tachycardia (VT) and cardiac deaths in diabetic patients with internal-cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) and/or cardiac-resynchronization-therapy (CRT). SGLT2i might improve cardiac electrophysiological-properties, reducing inflammation and sympathetic tone. We evaluated SGLT2i effects on lead-parameters, arrhythmias, ICDs’ interventions, and heart failure (HF) hospitalizations and cardiac deaths in diabetics at 1 year of follow-up. At 1 year of follow-up, 334 SGLT2i-users vs. 794 non-users patients had lower heart rate, best clinical status, lowest B-type-natriuretic-peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-BNP, and inflammatory markers and catecholamines (p < 0.05). SGLT2i-users vs. non-users showed cardiac remodeling and increased cardiac pump (p < 0.05), significant reduction of right-ventricle (RV) and left-ventricle (LV) pacing, increase of RV/LV impedance and sensing at follow-up end (p < 0.05). C-reactive-protein (CRP) inversely linked to RV sensing and linearly to RV pacing. CRP and tumor-necrosis-alpha (TNFa) inversely linked to RV and shock impedance (p < 0.05). At follow-up end, SGLT2i-users vs. non-users showed lower rate of VT (36 (10.8 %) vs. 138 (17.4 %)), inappropriate-shocks (32 (9.6 %) vs. 118 (14.9 %)), HF hospitalizations (50 (15.0 %) vs. 216 (27.2 %)), and cardiac deaths (10 (3.0 %) vs. 53 (6.7 %)), (p < 0.05). BNP (HR 1.101, CI 95 % 1.000–1.305), CRP (HR 1.034, CI 95 % 1.007–1.061), and SGLT2i (HR 0.592, CI 95 % 0.410–0.854) predicted VT; SGLT2i (HR 0.611, CI 95 % 0.413–0.903) predicted inappropriate-shocks; BNP (HR 1.012, CI 95 % 1.001–1.040) predicted appropriate-shocks. CRP (HR 1.102, 1.077–1.127), ischemic cardiomyopathy (HR 1.284, CI 95 % 1.14–1.870), and SGLT2i (HR 0.497, CI 95 % 0.365–0.677) predicted HF-hospitalizations. SGLT2i (HR 0.677, CI 95 % 0.222–0.860) predicted cardiac deaths. SGLT2i improve electrophysiological-properties and reduce arrhythmias in diabetics with ICD/CRT.