Diuretic Strategies in Patients with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Patients with acute decompensated heart failure received intravenous furosemide at either a low or a high dose and either boluses every 12 hours or continuous infusion. At 72 hours, there was no significant difference in symptoms or in the change in creatinine level from baseline for either comparison. Acute decompensated heart failure is the most common cause of hospital admissions among patients older than 65 years of age and is responsible for more than 1 million hospitalizations annually in the United States. 1 Intravenous loop diuretics are an essential component of current treatment and are administered to approximately 90% of patients who are hospitalized with heart failure. 2 Despite decades of clinical experience with these agents, prospective data to guide the use of loop diuretics are sparse, and current guidelines are based primarily on expert opinion. 3 , 4 As a result, clinical practice varies widely with regard to both the mode . . .