Safety of Metformin Continuation During Peri-Procedural Period of Coronary Angiography in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Background The safety of maintaining metformin therapy in patients undergoing coronary angiography is a topic of ongoing debate. The present study aims to examine patients with type 2 diabetes who continued to use metformin while undergoing coronary angiography for the development of contrast-induced nephropathy and lactic acidosis. Patients and Methods This investigation was a cross-sectional study that was carried out in Sulaimani Cardiac Hospital between January 2023 to June 2023 that enrolled 100 patients with type 2 diabetes and baseline creatinine clearance more than 45 ml/min for whom elective coronary angiography was performed. Monitoring of renal function and clinical signs of lactic acidosis were observed. Results The majority of cases (57%) received less than 50 cc of contrast, followed by 50-150 cc in 32 cases. Only one patient, a 70-year-old woman with a baseline impaired creatinine level (1.4 mg/dL), developed contrast-induced nephropathy, and there was no statistically significant change in creatinine level. With vigilant monitoring and proper hydration, her renal function returned to baseline levels within 7 days after the angiogram. Furthermore, there was no lactic acidosis in any of the participants. Conclusion It appears to be safe to continue metformin therapy during coronary angiography for type 2 diabetic patients whose baseline creatinine clearance above 45 ml/min.