Safety and Glycemic Efficacy of Perioperative Liraglutide in Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
- Design
- Meta-analysis · Hard outcome
- Match to healthy normal-weight adults aged 55–75
- Population unclear[Auto] Synthesis; population mix not determinable from abstract. Review the included-study populations.
- Could weight loss explain it?
- Unknown[Auto] Not addressed in abstract.
- Study tier
- Study tier 2[Auto] Systematic review/meta-analysis of randomized trials (auto-provisional; heterogeneity and included-study quality not assessed).
- Assessment
- Version 1 · automatic, not yet reviewed by a person · Sep 13, 2026
Study facts come from the paper. Population match, weight-loss explanation and study tier are our judgments, made against the reference group of healthy normal-weight adults aged 55–75.
[Auto, unreviewed; last sentences of abstract] Seven reports of 4 trials, enrolling 446 randomized patients, were eligible. Liraglutide did not alter 30-day mortality (1/161 vs 3/160; risk ratio [RR] 0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06-2.81), the composite of any postoperative complication (68/129 vs 76/132; RR 0.92; 95% CI, 0.74-1.14), cardiac adverse events (RR 1.08; 95% CI, 0.83-1.40), hypoglycemia (8/165 vs 9/166; RR 0.85; 95% CI, 0.34-2.13), or postoperative nausea and vomiting (RR 3.01; 95% CI, 0.26-35.27).
What the study reported
- Drugs
- Liraglutide
- Route
- subcutaneous
- Comparator
- placebo
- Primary outcome
- Not extracted
- Effect
- Not extracted
- 95% confidence interval
- Not extracted
- Follow-up
- Not stated
- Adverse events
- Not extracted
- Limitations
- Auto-classified from abstract only; effect estimates, adverse events and limitations not extracted. Requires manual review.
Who was studied
Study quality details
- Study design
- Meta-analysis
- Sample size
- not extracted
- Randomization
- n/a
- Blinding
- not stated
- Comparator
- placebo
- Follow up duration
- not stated
- Outcome type
- hard
- Replication
- not assessed (auto)
- Consistency with other evidence
- not assessed (auto)
- Population applicability
- UNKNOWN
- Statistical precision
- CI reported: 95% confidence interval [CI], 0
- Risk of bias
- not assessed (auto)
- Funding conflicts
- unclear
- Peer review status
- yes
Funding and conflicts
- Funding
- not reported in abstract
- Industry funded
- Unclear
- Manufacturer
- None identified
- Sponsor role
- not reported in abstract
- Author conflicts
- Disclosure: The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.
- Independent replication
- unknown
Funding is shown on every study and never used to score it.
The source, as retrieved
Abstract
Perioperative hyperglycemia in cardiac surgery is associated with wound infection, acute kidney injury, and death, yet the intravenous insulin used to treat it is itself coupled to hypoglycemia. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists lower glucose only when glucose is elevated and might therefore separate glycemic control from hypoglycemic risk. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and CENTRAL through September 2025 for randomized controlled trials of perioperative subcutaneous liraglutide versus placebo or insulin-based usual care in adults undergoing cardiac surgery. Two reviewers screened, extracted data, and applied the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool independently; certainty was graded using GRADE. Effects were pooled by inverse variance, fixed-effect when I2 was below 50%. Seven reports of 4 trials, enrolling 446 randomized patients, were eligible. Liraglutide did not alter 30-day mortality (1/161 vs 3/160; risk ratio [RR] 0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06-2.81), the composite of any postoperative complication (68/129 vs 76/132; RR 0.92; 95% CI, 0.74-1.14), cardiac adverse events (RR 1.08; 95% CI, 0.83-1.40), hypoglycemia (8/165 vs 9/166; RR 0.85; 95% CI, 0.34-2.13), or postoperative nausea and vomiting (RR 3.01; 95% CI, 0.26-35.27).