ENavogliflozin And preVention Of Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence After Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation With Heart Failure (ENAVO-AF): Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Double-blind Clinical Trial

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a difference in the recurrence rate of atrial fibrillation (AF) between a group of patients with AF and heart failure undergoing catheter ablation who are administered the SGLT2 inhibitor, Enavogliflozin, and a control group (placebo group). This study aims to investigate whether SGLT2 inhibitors can prevent the recurrence of AF after the procedure.

Background: AF is the most common arrhythmia requiring treatment, with its prevalence increasing with age. In the US, AF affected 5.2 million people in 2010 and is projected to reach 12.1 million by 2030. In South Korea, prevalence rose from 0.73% in 2006 to 1.53% in 2015. Early-stage AF patients benefit more from rhythm control therapy than from heart rate control alone, as shown by the 2020 EAST-AFNET-4 trial, which reported a 21% reduction in adverse cardiovascular events. Catheter ablation for rhythm control significantly reduces AF recurrence compared to antiarrhythmic drugs, leading to more patients undergoing this procedure. AF and heart failure often coexist, forming a vicious cycle that exacerbates both conditions and leads to poorer outcomes. They share common risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and valvular disease. Heart failure increases left atrial filling pressure and alters intracellular calcium levels, raising AF risk. Further research is needed on their pathophysiological link. SGLT2 inhibitors reduce glucose reabsorption in the kidneys to control hyperglycemia in diabetics and have been shown in large studies (DAPA-HF, EMPEROR-Reduced) to significantly reduce heart failure worsening and cardiovascular mortality, regardless of diabetes status. These benefits were seen in both HFrEF and HFpEF. In the DAPA-HF trial, 55% of participants were non-diabetic, and reductions in heart failure worsening or cardiovascular death were similar between those with and without diabetes (25% vs. 27%). Adverse events, including volume depletion and renal function decline, were not significantly different between diabetic and non-diabetic patients, and no hypoglycemia or ketoacidosis occurred in non-diabetic patients. Recent studies show SGLT2 inhibitors reduce AF incidence and benefit heart failure. A sub-analysis of the DECLARE-TIMI 58 trial reported a 19% reduction in AF risk among diabetic patients with SGLT2 inhibitors. Meta-analyses by Okunrintemi and Zheng showed an 18% reduction in AF risk irrespective of diabetes status. Interest is growing in the relationship between SGLT2 inhibitors and AF recurrence post-catheter ablation. Luo et al. reported a nearly 39% reduction in AF recurrence post-ablation with dapagliflozin in diabetic patients. Kishima et al. found a 49% reduction in AF recurrence post-ablation with SGLT2 inhibitors versus DPP-IV inhibitors in a small prospective randomized study. However, most studies were retrospective, sub-analyses, or small-scale studies limited to diabetics. Prospective randomized studies involving AF patients regardless of diabetes status are urgently needed for validation.