Can a diabetes drug and a salt compound boost exercise in heart failure?
NCT ID NCT05138575
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether empagliflozin (a diabetes drug) and potassium nitrate (a supplement) can improve exercise endurance in people with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). About 53 participants will take one of three combinations of these drugs for a period, then undergo exercise tests to measure how long they can walk or cycle. The goal is to see if these treatments help muscles work better and improve daily stamina.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Empagliflozin (Jardiance) and Potassium Nitrate (KNO3)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a treatment that helps people with heart failure exercise longer and feel better day-to-day.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 53 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The drugs may not improve endurance as hoped.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 53 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2022
- Expected to finish
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May 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion: 1\. NYHA Class II-III symptoms 2. Left ventricular ejection fraction \>= 50% 3. Stable medical condition for at least 2 weeks, as per investigator judgment 4. Prior or current evidence for elevated filling pressures, as evidenced by at least one of the following: a. Mitral early (E)/septal tissue annular (e') velocity ratio \> 8, in the context of a septal e' velocity \<=7 cm/s or a lateral e' \<= 10 cm/s, in addition to one of the following: i. Large left atrium (LA volume index \> 34 mL/m2) ii. Chronic loop diuretic use for control of symptoms iii. Elevated natriuretic peptides within the past year (e.g., NTproBNP \> 125 pg/mL in sinus rhythm or \> 375 pg/mL if in atrial fibrillation) b. Mitral E/e' ratio \> 14 at rest or during exercise c. Elevated invasively-determined filling pressures previously (resting left ventricular end-diastolic pressure \>= 16 mm Hg or pulmonary capillary wedge pressure \>= 15 mmHg; or PCWP/LVEDP \>= 25 mmHg with exercise) d. Prior episode of acute heart failure requiring IV diuretics Exclusion Criteria: 1. Age \<18 years old 2. Pregnancy: Women of childbearing potential will undergo a urine pregnancy test during the screening visit. 3. Treatment with organic nitrates or phosphodiesterase inhibitors that cannot be interrupted 4. Uncontrolled atrial fibrillation, as defined by a resting atrial fibrillation heart rate \> 100 beats per minute at the time of the baseline assessment 5. Hemoglobin \< 10 g/dL 6. Subject inability/unwillingness to exercise 7. Moderate or greater left sided valvular disease (mitral regurgitation, aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation), mild or greater mitral stenosis, severe right-sided valvular disease 8. Known hypertrophic, infiltrative, or inflammatory cardiomyopathy 9. Clinically significant pericardial disease, as per investigator judgment 10. Current angina due to clinically significant epicardial coronary disease, as per investigator judgment 11. Acute coronary syndrome or coronary intervention within the past 2 months 12. Primary pulmonary artery hypertension (WHO Group 1 Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension) 13. Clinically significant lung disease as defined by: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Stage III or greater GOLD criteria (FEV1\<50%), treatment with oral steroids within the past 6 months for an exacerbation of obstructive lung disease, current use of supplemental oxygen aside from nocturnal oxygen for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. \- Desaturation to \<90% on the baseline maximal effort cardiopulmonary exercise test will also be grounds for exclusion 14. Clinically-significant ischemia, as per investigator's judgement, on stress testing without either (1) subsequent revascularization, (2) an angiogram demonstrating the absence of clinically significant epicardial coronary artery disease, as per investigator judgment; (3) a follow-up 'negative' stress test, particularly when using a more specific technique (i.e., a negative perfusion imaging test following a 'positive' ECG stress test) \- Exercise-induced regional wall motion abnormalities on the echocardiographic assessment during the baseline maximal effort cardiopulmonary exercise test will also be exclusionary 15. Left ventricular ejection fraction \< 45% on a prior echocardiogram or cardiac MRI, unless the reduced LVEF occurred within the context of an uncontrolled supraventricular arrhythmia, with return of a normal ejection fraction following treatment of the arrhythmia 16. Significant liver disease impacting synthetic function or volume control (ALT/AST \> 3x ULN, Albumin \< 3.0 g/dL) 17. eGFR \< 30 mL/min/1.73m2. 18. Methemoglobin \> 5% 19. Serum potassium \> 5.0 mEq/L on baseline testing 20. Type I Diabetes 21. History of ketoacidosis 22. Current use of, or prior intolerance to, an SGLT2i 23. Ongoing maintenance of a 'Ketogenic Diet' (low carbohydrate, high fat) 24. Allergy to beets 25. Severe right ventricular dysfunction 26. Baseline resting seated systolic blood pressure \> 180 mmHg or \< 100 mmHg 27. Persistently low or high seated blood pressure or orthostatic blood pressure response to the transition from supine to standing (\>20 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure 2-3 minutes after standing, or a fall in SBP to \< 90 mmHg) at the baseline visit 28. Active participation in another study that utilizes an investigational agent (observational studies/registries allowed) 29. Any condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, may interfere with the completion/performance of the study. This may include comorbid or psychiatric conditions that may impede successful completion of the protocol, or logistical concerns (e.g., inability to travel to the exercise unit).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Pennsylvania Health System
RECRUITINGPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
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