Lowering of furosemide dosage after clinical stabilization in patients with congestive heart failure.
OBJECTIVE
This study was performed to examine the safety of reducing the long-term doses of furosemide administered to patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) stabilized on a standard medical treatment.


RESULTS
Twenty-nine patients with advanced CHF were treated with enalapril, digoxin, nitrates, and furosemide, as needed to alleviate their symptoms, and remained clinically stable for at least 3 months on those doses. Subsequently, the daily dose of furosemide was reduced to 1/3 of the previous dose, while the concomitant therapy was unchanged. All patients underwent a thorough clinical evaluation and right-heart catheterization before and 2 months after the furosemide dose reduction. After the treatment optimization the NYHA functional class decreased from 2.3 +/- 0.6 to 1.4 +/- 0.6 (p = 0.000), and the left ventricular ejection fraction increased from 22 +/- 10% to 32 +/- 13%, (p = 0.000). Clinical and haemodynamic evaluation before and after 2 months of treatment with lower furosemide doses showed that 24 of the 29 patients (83%) remained in a stable NYHA functional class and maintained a stable haemodynamic status. In the remaining 5 patients (17%), mean NYHA functional class increased from 1.8 +/- 0.4 to 2.4 +/- 0.6 (p = 0.07), accompanied by a significant increase of the right and left ventricular filling pressures from 4.2 +/- 2.7 to 9.0 +/- 3.0 mm Hg, p = 0.018 and from 8.6 +/- 3.0 to 19.8 +/- 3.6 mm Hg, p = 0.017, respectively. These 5 patients returned to a stable clinical status upon resumption of the prior doses of furosemide.


CONCLUSIONS
Most patients with chronic CHF who were clinically stabilized on high doses of furosemide remained stable on a maintenance dose equal to one-third of the dose needed for their stabilization. Patients unable to tolerate the dose reduction regained their previous clinical status following the resumption of the prior diuretic doses.
Alexopoulos
George P
GP
University of Athens School of Medicine, Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Anastasiou-Nana
Maria I
MI
Rapti
Ageliki Ch
ACh
Margari
Zafiria J
ZJ
Terrovitis
John V
JV
Mitsibounas
Dimitrios
D
Makri
Stamatina
S
Nanas
John N
JN
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D004232:Diuretics / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005665:Furosemide / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000187:drug effects; D013995:Time; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D004232:Diuretics; D005665:Furosemide