Cardio-Vasculo-Renal Benefits of SGLT2 Inhibitors in Heart Failure: A Retrospective Study from a Lower-Resource Tertiary Center

TL;DR

This study shows that SGLT2 inhibitors may reduce heart failure and kidney risks in patients with heart failure, even in lower-resource settings.

Contribution

The study provides real-world evidence of SGLT2 inhibitors' benefits in a lower-resource setting with heart failure patients.

Findings

SGLT2 inhibitors were linked to a 30% lower risk of cardio-vasculo-renal events.

Patients on SGLT2 inhibitors had fewer heart failure hospitalizations.

Kidney function declined more slowly in those treated with SGLT2 inhibitors.

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Heart failure frequently coexists with CKD, compounding prognosis via cardio-renal interplay. Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have demonstrated cardiovascular and renal benefits in randomized trials, but data remain limited in real-world lower-resource settings. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective single-center cohort study at a tertiary university hospital in western Romania, including adults with chronic HF and LVEF ≤ 45%, monitored between 2021–2024. Patients were stratified based on receipt of SGLT2 inhibitors. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular death, HF hospitalization, or ≥40% sustained decline in eGFR/initiation of KRT. Annual eGFR slope was analyzed to assess renal trajectory. Results: Among 240 patients, treatment with SGLT2 inhibitors was associated with a lower risk of the composite cardio-vasculo-renal endpoint compared with no treatment (adjusted HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.50–0.98). The reduction was primarily driven by fewer heart failure hospitalizations. Decline in kidney function was slower among SGLT2 inhibitor-treated patients in longitudinal mixed-effects analyses. Conclusions: In this retrospective cohort, SGLT2 inhibitor use was associated with fewer cardio-renal events and a slower decline in kidney function. Given the observational design and residual confounding risk, these findings should be considered hypothesis-generating but provide implementation-relevant signals supporting further prospective evaluation.

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