Ultrafiltration is better than diuretic therapy for volume-overloaded acute heart failure patients: a meta-analysis

Studies on the effectiveness of ultrafiltration (UF) in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) have led to heterogeneous study outcomes. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the impact of UF therapy in ADHF patients. We searched the medical literature to identify well-designed studies comparing UF with the usual diuretic therapy in this setting. Systematic evaluation of 8 randomized controlled trials enrolling 801 participants showed greater fluid removal (difference in means 1372.5 mL, 95% CI 849.6 to 1895.4 mL; p