Does lower dose intravenous furosemide (<160 mg) improve in-hospital outcomes and reduce adverse renal effects in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure compared to higher doses (≥160 mg)?
In patients with acute decompensated heart failure, lower doses of intravenous furosemide (<160 mg) are associated with reduced in-hospital mortality, ICU stay, prolonged hospitalization, and adverse renal effects compared to doses ≥160 mg.
The optimal use of diuretics in decompensated heart failure remains uncertain. We analyzed data from the ADHERE registry to look at the impact of diuretic dosing. 62,866 patients receiving or =160 mg of furosemide were analyzed. The patients receiving the lower doses had a lower risk for in-hospital mortality, ICU stay, prolonged hospitalization, or adverse renal effects. These findings suggest that future studies should evaluate strategies for minimizing exposure to high doses of diuretics.
Peacock et al. (Fri,) studied this question.