Comparison of Ultrafiltration and Intravenous Diuretic Therapies in Patients Hospitalized for Acute Decompensated Biventricular Heart Failure

OBJECTIVE: Studies comparing ultrafiltration and diuretics in management of ADHF have shown controversial results. In this study, we compared the efficacy and safety of intravenous diuretic therapy and ultrafiltration in patients admitted with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) who had right ventricular dysfunction superimposed on left ventricular systolic dysfunction. MATERIAL and METHODS: A total of 30 patients of whom 10 were in the ultrafiltration group and 20 were in the diuretic group were enrolled in this study and followed for 3 months. RESULTS: At discharge, there were no significant differences between the ultrafiltration and diuretic groups in terms of weight loss , total fluid loss, and changes in serum creatinine. The clinical decongestion rates were similar in the two groups. Moreover, echocardiographic and biochemical parameters and alterations in renin and aldosterone levels, as measured to assess neurohormonal activation, had overlapping results between the two groups. When unwanted events were analyzed, transition to hemodialysis was seen in 20% of the patients in the ultrafiltration group and 5% of the patients in the diuretic group. The frequency of cardiac arrest and death were 40% in the ultrafiltration group and 10% in the diuretic group. Weight change, creatinine, and electrolyte levels of the patients at 1 and 3 months were also similar. CONCLUSION: Despite the high frequency of hemodialysis transition, cardiac arrest, and death in the ultrafiltration group, safety of ultrafiltration could not be assessed because of inability to perform statistical analyses. Further studies are needed to investigate the practical uses of ultrafiltration in routine clinical practice.