FIVE YEARS' EXPERIENCE WITH THE EVALUATION OF DIURETIC AGENTS

Twelve diuretics and 2 combinations of diuretics were evaluated by a standard methodology. Electrolyte excretion patterns were evaluated in "normal" hospitalized patients, and acute weight loss was evaluated in out-patients in congestive failure. The large standard errors of the means for natriuresis, kaluresis, and acute weight loss reflect the inherent biologic variation of such assays and permit separation of drugs into only a few overlapping categories of potency. The combination of a mercurial and a thiazide caused significantly greater sodium excretion than any other drug used alone. No single diuretic was significantly more potent than all others.