SCAI 2026
Tirzepatide tied to fewer major events after PCI, TAVR
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Clinical takeaway: Tirzepatide may improve cardiometabolic outcomes after common cardiac procedures in select high-risk patients. These were retrospective database studies; prospective trials are still needed before changing routine practice.
Tirzepatide has already shown cardiovascular benefit in type 2 diabetes, but its effect in patients undergoing invasive cardiac procedures has been less clear. Two studies presented at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions annual meeting examined whether those benefits extend to patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
In the PCI analysis, investigators used the TriNetX database to compare tirzepatide with dulaglutide in adults with type 2 diabetes treated at the time of the procedure. Tirzepatide was associated with lower rates of major adverse cardiovascular events at one month and one year, along with lower risks of acute myocardial infarction, heart failure exacerbation, and death at one year. The study included 1,281 matched patients in each group.
In the TAVR analysis, investigators studied adults with obesity who underwent the procedure between 2020 and 2025 and compared outcomes by tirzepatide use. At one year, tirzepatide use was associated with better event-free survival (84.1% vs. 77.7%), fewer hospitalizations for acute heart failure, and fewer major adverse cardiovascular events. Each matched group included 398 patients.
Taken together, the studies suggest tirzepatide may have clinical value beyond glucose lowering and weight loss in interventional cardiology populations with substantial cardiometabolic risk.
“Patients undergoing TAVR often carry a significant cardiometabolic burden, and these results suggest that targeting underlying risk factors with agents like tirzepatide could translate into meaningful clinical benefit,” said Ibrahim Mortada, MD, of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.
Sources: Varma R. SCAI Scientific Sessions 2026. 2026 Apr 23. Real-World Cardiovascular Outcomes of Tirzepatide Versus Dulaglutide After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; Mortada I. SCAI Scientific Sessions 2026. 2026 Apr 24. Association of Tirzepatide Use with Clinical Outcomes After TAVR in Obese Patients: A Propensity-Matched Real-World Study