Could a common diabetes drug boost heart pump recovery?

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18-75 years * Receiving continuous-flow LVADs, such as HeartMate 3, HVAD, Core-Heart 6, Brio-Heart * Presence of insulin resistance * HbA1c ≤ 6.5% Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus, or type 2 diabetes mellitus with HbA1c \> 6.5% (patients with prior type 2 diabetes who are currently off therapy and have HbA1c ≤ 6.5% may be enrolled; such patients may still have insulin resistance but have achieved glycemic control) * History of diagnosed diabetic ketoacidosis or hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state * Currently using any glucose-lowering medications (including insulin, oral hypoglycemic agents, GLP-1 receptor agonists, SGLT2 inhibitors, etc.) * History of diagnosed polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and currently undergoing treatment * Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \< 45 mL/min/1.73 m² (CKD-EPI equation) * History of acute kidney injury (KDIGO criteria) with incomplete renal recovery * Receiving any form of renal replacement therapy (hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis) * Post-kidney transplantation or awaiting kidney transplantation * Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) \> 3× the upper limit of normal, total bilirubin \> 2× upper limit of normal, or Child-Pugh class B or C cirrhosis * Active viral hepatitis * History of alcoholic liver disease or drug-induced liver injury currently in the active phase * Concurrent right ventricular assist device (RVAD) or total artificial heart implantation * LVAD-related complications requiring surgical intervention within 30 days postoperatively, including but not limited to: pump thrombosis requiring LVAD exchange or thrombolysis, driveline infection requiring debridement or replacement, hemorrhagic complications requiring re-sternotomy, device malfunction requiring urgent intervention * Acute kidney injury requiring ongoing renal replacement therapy (CRRT) within 30 days postoperatively * Preoperative severe right heart failure (on echocardiography: right ventricular fractional area change \< 35%, or tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion \< 14 mm; or right heart catheterization showing central venous pressure \> 15 mmHg and cardiac index \< 2.0 L/min/m²) * Preoperative severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥ 40 mmHg and pulmonary vascular resistance ≥ 4 Wood units) * Within 30 days postoperatively, occurrence of severe low cardiac output syndrome requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support * Significant prosthetic valve dysfunction or severe prosthetic valve infectious endocarditis * Severe unrepaired valvular disease * Active systemic infection or sepsis requiring ongoing intravenous antibiotics or antifungal therapy * Active infectious endocarditis (modified Duke criteria) or high clinical suspicion * Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection with CD4 count \< 200/μL or not on regular antiretroviral therapy * Active tuberculosis or non-tuberculous mycobacterial infection * Active cytomegalovirus (CMV) or Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection * Known active inflammatory diseases (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease) currently requiring immunosuppressive therapy * Platelet count \< 50 × 10⁹/L, hemoglobin \< 80 g/L, international normalized ratio (INR) \> 3.0 and not reversible (unless on warfarin with INR within the target range) * Known bleeding disorders (e.g., hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, acquired von Willebrand syndrome) * Malignancy diagnosed within the past 5 years (except for cured thyroid cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, etc.) and currently receiving chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or targeted therapy * Prior recipients of heart transplantation or other organ transplants * Patients awaiting heart transplantation with an anticipated waiting time of less than 3 months * Pregnant or lactating women * Reproductive-age women who are capable of conceiving but refuse to use effective contraception during the study period (including surgical sterilization, intrauterine device, oral contraceptives, condoms, etc.) * Women planning pregnancy during the study * Known allergy to metformin or any drug excipient * Known history of lactic acidosis * Currently using medications that may significantly increase the risk of lactic acidosis, including but not limited to: carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (topiramate, acetazolamide), antiretroviral drugs (especially nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors), certain chemotherapeutic agents (cisplatin) * Currently using medications that may affect glycemic control or insulin sensitivity and that cannot be stopped or substituted during the study, including but not limited to: systemic glucocorticoids (prednisone-equivalent dose \> 10 mg/day for \> 2 weeks), high-dose thiazide diuretics (hydrochlorothiazide \> 50 mg/day), atypical antipsychotics (olanzapine, clozapine, etc.), immunosuppressants (tacrolimus, cyclosporine, etc.) * Unable to complete 12-month follow-up * Known psychiatric disorders or cognitive impairment that may affect informed consent validity or study compliance * History of drug or alcohol abuse (within the past year) * Concurrent participation in another clinical trial * Any other circumstance, as determined by the investigator, that would render the subject unsuitable for enrollment (including but not limited to social, psychological, or geographic factors)