Empagliflozin and Dapagliflozin Therapies Favorably Alter QRS-T Angle and Cardiac Repolarization Parameters in Patients with Heart Failure

Recent randomized clinical trials demonstrated that treatment with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) reduces the risk of cardiac mortality due to sudden cardiac death and progressive pump failure in patients with heart failure (HF). Mechanisms underlying the potential anti-arrhythmic effects of SGLT2is are not well understood. We aimed to examine the effect of SGLT2i treatment on the frontal-plane QRS-T (f[QRS-T]) angle, a novel marker of myocardial repolarization and an independent predictor of adverse cardiac outcomes. The study included 106 patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) who received an SGLT2i, empagliflozin, or dapagliflozin. All study participants underwent screening 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) before and ∼90 days after treatment. We compared ECG repolarization parameters before and after treatment. During study enrollment, there were statistically significant decreases in the Tp-e/QT ratio (P ≤.0001), Tp-e/corrected QT ratio (P =.0002), Tp-e interval (P <.0001), and f(QRS-T) angle (P =.04) in response to SGLT2i therapy. In addition, study participants experienced an improvement in functional capacity (2.06 ± 0.6 vs. 1.82 ± 0.6, P =.0001) and reduced N-terminal pro-b-type natriuretic peptide values. In this retrospective cohort study, SGLT2i therapy was associated with improved cardiac repolarization parameters in patients with HFrEF. More comprehensive studies are needed to evaluate the impact of SGLT2i on cardiac repolarization and its potential relation to cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death risk.