Does combined low-dose intravenous dopamine and oral furosemide reduce toxicity (renal impairment and hypokalemia) compared to high-dose intravenous furosemide in patients with refractory congestive heart failure?
In refractory congestive heart failure, combining low-dose IV dopamine with oral furosemide provides similar efficacy with less renal toxicity and hypokalemia compared to high-dose IV furosemide.
Combined low-dose intravenous dopamine and oral furosemide have similar efficacy but induce less renal impairment and hypokalemia than higher doses of intravenous furosemide taken either alone or with low-dose dopamine. The renal impairment induced by intravenous furosemide is probably related to its hypotensive effect in patients with refractory congestive heart failure.
Cotter et al. (Fri,) studied this question.