Diuretic in Decompensated Heart Failure: With or Without Salt?

Acute or decompensated heart failure (HF) syndrome is a common cause of admission to emergency rooms or HF clinics. Patients often present in profile “B” of the hemodynamic classification and have low therapeutic adherence as the cause of their decompensation. In this clinical situation, the use of high-dose intravenous loop diuretics has been the mainstay of treatment over the last five decades. It does not change the long-term prognosis of the underlying disease, but it moves the patient from the acute crisis to outpatient compensation.

There are many issues involved in diuretic therapy for decongestion. There are questions about doses; continuous infusion or bolus; parameters for complete decongestion; and care to avoid hypovolemia. Resistance to diuretics and sodium craving are mechanisms present in more severe and chronic patients, making decongestion even more challenging. Fortunately, some solutions to the problems mentioned above have been proposed and tested.

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