Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Oral Furosemide Among Patients Receiving Hemodialysis: A Pilot Study

Figures

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  Figure 1. Study design. aDuring the 6-week dose titration period, participants who were not taking a loop diuretic at study entry received 80 mg furosemide twice a day for 14 days and then, if the dose was tolerated, they received 120 mg oral furosemide twice a day for 14 days and then, if the dose was tolerated, they received 160 mg oral furosemide twice a day for 14 days. During the 6-week dose titration period, participants who were taking a loop diuretic at study entry received their baseline furosemide dose (or furosemide-equivalent dose for those receiving nonfurosemide loop diuretics) for 14 days. If tolerated, the baseline furosemide dose was increased by 50% for 14 days, and then, if the dose was tolerated, the dose was increased by 50% for 14 days. The maximum dose for any participant was 320 mg/day. During the 12-week follow-up period, participants remained on their maximally tolerated dose from the dose titration period.

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  Figure 2. Participant enrollment and follow-up. HD, hemodialysis.

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  Figure 3. Expected maximum study furosemide dosing among study participants (N = 39).

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  Figure 4. Study furosemide dosing patterns stratified by use of a loop diuretic at baseline. aTwo participants reduced study furosemide dose and remained on the lower study furosemide dose for the remainder of the study, and one participant reduced study furosemide dose for one week and then returned to the higher study furosemide dose for the remainder of the study.

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  Figure 5. Percentage of participants meeting the urine output efficacy definition stratified by study furosemide status at the time of 24-hour urine collection (on vs. off study furosemide). aEfficacy for urine output was defined as (a) an increase from baseline 24-hour urine volume of ≥25% among participants with a baseline 24-hour urine volume ≥200 ml and (b) a ≥50 ml increase in 24-hour urine volume to a 24-hour urine volume of at least 100 ml among participants with a baseline 24-hour urine volume <200 ml.