Combination Diuretic Therapy for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Summary

Patients with heart failure are often admitted to the hospital because they have accumulated excessive amounts of fluid, they become short of breath and congested with fluid. Removing the excess fluid is necessary to improve the patients symptoms and reduce the risk of being re-admitted to the hospital. Diuretics ("water pills") are often given through an IV to accelerate the fluid removal. Furosemide is commonly used for fluid removal, however some patients do not respond well to the medication. There are other diuretics available that can work in conjunction with furosemide and increase the rate of fluid removal. The other "water pills" have slightly different mechanisms of action in the body compared to furosemide and when combined they may increase fluid removal. The investigators hypothesize that adding chlorothiazide to furosemide will result in quicker and more effective fluid removal in heart failure patients.

Timeline

Start

2014-05

Primary completion

2015-10

Completion

2015-10

Publications

• Background Felker GM, Lee KL, Bull DA, Redfield MM, Stevenson LW, Goldsmith SR, LeWinter MM, Deswal A, Rouleau JL, Ofili EO, Anstrom KJ, Hernandez AF, McNulty SE, Velazquez EJ, Kfoury AG, Chen HH, Givertz MM, Semigran MJ, Bart BA, Mascette AM, Braunwald E, O'Connor CM; NHLBI Heart Failure Clinical Research Network. Diuretic strategies in patients with acute decompensated heart failure. N Engl J Med. 2011 Mar 3;364(9):797-805. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1005419.
• Background Channer KS, McLean KA, Lawson-Matthew P, Richardson M. Combination diuretic treatment in severe heart failure: a randomised controlled trial. Br Heart J. 1994 Feb;71(2):146-50. doi: 10.1136/hrt.71.2.146.
• Background Peacock WF, Costanzo MR, De Marco T, Lopatin M, Wynne J, Mills RM, Emerman CL; ADHERE Scientific Advisory Committee and Investigators. Impact of intravenous loop diuretics on outcomes of patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure: insights from the ADHERE registry. Cardiology. 2009;113(1):12-9. doi: 10.1159/000164149. Epub 2008 Oct 17.

Drugs

Indications