Metformin protects against cardiac and renal damage in diabetic cardiac arrest patients

Metformin is a first-line diabetic therapy that improves survival in a wide number of ischemic pathologies. We tested the association of metformin with markers of cardiac and renal injury in diabetic post-arrest patients.

We performed a retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes in diabetic cardiac arrest patients with and without metformin therapy at a single academic medical center. We used generalized linear models to test the independent association of metformin, insulin, and other hypoglycemic agents with peak 24-hour serum creatinine and peak 24-hour serum troponin.

Metformin prescription at the time of SCA was independently associated with lower 24-hour peak serum troponin and lower 24-hour peak serum creatinine when compared to non-metformin patients.

Metformin pretreatment may offer cardiac and renal protection for diabetic patients during sudden cardiac arrest.