Addition of low‐dose liraglutide to insulin therapy is useful for glycaemic control during the peri‐operative period: effect of glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist therapy on glycaemic control in patients undergoing cardiac surgery ( GLOLIA study)

Aim To test the hypothesis that the addition of a glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist that can decrease glucose levels without increasing the hypoglycaemia risk will achieve appropriate glycaemic control during the peri‐operative period. Methods We studied 70 people with Type 2 diabetes who underwent elective cardiac surgery. Participants were randomized to either an insulin‐alone or an insulin plus liraglutide 0.6 mg/day group. We evaluated average M values, which indicated the proximity index of the target glucose level from day 1 to day 10. Results The average M value in the liraglutide plus insulin group was significantly lower than that in the insulin‐alone group (liraglutide plus insulin 5.8 vs insulin‐alone 12.3; P < 0.001). The frequency of insulin dose modification in the liraglutide plus insulin group was significantly lower than that in the insulin‐alone group (odds ratio 0.19, 95% CI 0.08–0.49; P < 0.001). The frequency of hypoglycaemia in the liraglutide plus insulin group tended to be lower than that in the insulin‐alone group (odds ratio 0.57, 95% CI 0.15–2.23; P = 0.21). Conclusions The results of this study showed that the addition of low‐dose liraglutide to insulin achieved lower M values than insulin alone, suggesting that the addition of low‐dose liraglutide may achieve better glycaemic control during the peri‐operative period. (Clinical trials registry no.: UMIN 8003)