Safe People
Lead applicant organisation name	University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Safe Projects
Project title	The impact of SGLT2 inhibitors on post-operative outcomes.
Lay summary	The researchers want to look back at people who have already had surgery to see whether certain modern diabetes medicines help them recover better. These medicines are called SGLT2 inhibitors (such as empagliflozin, dapagliflozin and canagliflozin). They lower blood sugar by helping the body pass more sugar in urine, but they also have other benefits: they protect the kidneys and heart, may improve liver health, and can lead to some weight loss. Because these medicines are so helpful in everyday care, the researchers want to find out if they also protect patients around the time of surgery. They will compare two groups of patients: those who were taking an SGLT2 inhibitor before their operation and those who were not. They will then check how each group did after surgery, looking at a standard list of possible complications, especially kidney problems. People with diabetes can differ from those without diabetes in many ways; such as blood test results or other health conditions, so the researchers will “adjust” for these differences. Adjusting is a way that scientists try to even out imbalances to make comparisons as fair as possible. This helps make the comparison fairer and gives a clearer picture of whether these medicines truly help after surgery.
Public benefit statement	This project will give evidence (where there is currently very little) on the potential benefits or otherwise in some groups of surgical patients of continuing these medications in the perioperative period. The evidence could be used to support future randomised controlled trials of SGLT2 inhibitors to improve post-operative outcomes.
Latest approval date	16/04/2026

Safe Data
Dataset(s) name	PATHWAY Research Data Hub: PWY034 dataset

Safe Setting
Access type	Project approved via Proportionate Review Process. Data released via Letter of Authorisation. All researchers have received training in the care, use and protection of personal data, enabling them to comply with their responsibilities under the Data Protection Act.

Safe Outputs
Link	Not yet Published