-
European Journal of Heart Failure Sep 2022To describe the baseline characteristics of participants in the Acetazolamide in Decompensated Heart Failure with Volume Overload (ADVOR) trial and compare these with... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
AIMS
To describe the baseline characteristics of participants in the Acetazolamide in Decompensated Heart Failure with Volume Overload (ADVOR) trial and compare these with other contemporary diuretic trials in acute heart failure (AHF).
METHODS AND RESULTS
ADVOR recruited 519 patients with AHF, clinically evident volume overload, elevated N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and maintenance loop diuretic therapy prior to admission. All participants received standardized loop diuretics and were randomized towards once daily intravenous acetazolamide (500 mg) versus placebo, stratified according to study centre and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (≤40% vs. >40%). The primary endpoint was successful decongestion assessed by a dedicated score indicating no more than trace oedema and no other signs of congestion after three consecutive days of treatment without need for escalating treatment. Mean age was 78 years, 63% were men, mean LVEF was 43%, and median NT-proBNP 6173 pg/ml. The median clinical congestion score was 4 with an EuroQol-5 dimensions health utility index of 0.6. Patients with LVEF ≤40% were more often male, had more ischaemic heart disease, higher levels of NT-proBNP and less atrial fibrillation. Compared with diuretic trials in AHF, patients enrolled in ADVOR were considerably older with higher NT-proBNP levels, reflecting the real-world clinical situation.
CONCLUSION
ADVOR is the largest randomized diuretic trial in AHF, investigating acetazolamide to improve decongestion on top of standardized loop diuretics. The elderly enrolled population with poor quality of life provides a good representation of the real-world AHF population. The pragmatic design will provide novel insights in the diuretic treatment of patients with AHF.
Topics: Acetazolamide; Aged; Diuretics; Female; Heart Failure; Humans; Male; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; Peptide Fragments; Quality of Life; Sodium Potassium Chloride Symporter Inhibitors; Stroke Volume; Ventricular Function, Left; Water-Electrolyte Imbalance
PubMed: 35733283
DOI: 10.1002/ejhf.2587 -
Circulation Sep 2020Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors improve heart failure-related outcomes. The mechanisms underlying these benefits are not well understood, but diuretic... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors improve heart failure-related outcomes. The mechanisms underlying these benefits are not well understood, but diuretic properties may contribute. Traditional diuretics such as furosemide induce substantial neurohormonal activation, contributing to the limited improvement in intravascular volume often seen with these agents. However, the proximal tubular site of action of the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors may help circumvent these limitations.
METHODS
Twenty patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic, stable heart failure completed a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study of empagliflozin 10 mg daily versus placebo. Patients underwent an intensive 6-hour biospecimen collection and cardiorenal phenotyping at baseline and again after 14 days of study drug. After a 2-week washout, patients crossed over to the alternate therapy with the above protocol repeated.
RESULTS
Oral empagliflozin was rapidly absorbed as evidenced by a 27-fold increase in urinary glucose excretion by 3 hours (<0.0001). Fractional excretion of sodium increased significantly with empagliflozin monotherapy versus placebo (fractional excretion of sodium, 1.2±0.7% versus 0.7±0.4%; =0.001), and there was a synergistic effect in combination with bumetanide (fractional excretion of sodium, 5.8±2.5% versus 3.9±1.9%; =0.001). At 14 days, the natriuretic effect of empagliflozin persisted, resulting in a reduction in blood volume (-208 mL [interquartile range, -536 to 153 mL] versus -14 mL [interquartile range, -282 to 335 mL]; =0.035) and plasma volume (-138 mL, interquartile range, -379 to 154±453 mL; =0.04). This natriuresis was not, however, associated with evidence of neurohormonal activation because the change in norepinephrine was superior (=0.02) and all other neurohormones were similar (<0.34) during the empagliflozin versus placebo period. Furthermore, there was no evidence of potassium wasting (=0.20) or renal dysfunction (>0.11 for all biomarkers), whereas both serum magnesium (<0.001) and uric acid levels (=0.008) improved.
CONCLUSIONS
Empagliflozin causes significant natriuresis, particularly when combined with loop diuretics, resulting in an improvement in blood volume. However, off-target electrolyte wasting, renal dysfunction, and neurohormonal activation were not observed. This favorable diuretic profile may offer significant advantage in the management of volume status in patients with heart failure and may represent a mechanism contributing to the superior long-term heart failure outcomes observed with these agents. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03027960.
Topics: Aged; Benzhydryl Compounds; Diabetes Complications; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diuretics; Double-Blind Method; Female; Glucosides; Heart Failure; Humans; Male; Middle Aged
PubMed: 32410463
DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.045691 -
ESC Heart Failure Dec 2021Although acute heart failure (AHF) with volume overload is treated with loop diuretics, their dosing and type of administration are mainly based upon expert opinion. A...
AIMS
Although acute heart failure (AHF) with volume overload is treated with loop diuretics, their dosing and type of administration are mainly based upon expert opinion. A recent position paper from the Heart Failure Association (HFA) proposed a step-wise pharmacologic diuretic strategy to increase the diuretic response and to achieve rapid decongestion. However, no study has evaluated this protocol prospectively.
METHODS AND RESULTS
The Efficacy of a Standardized Diuretic Protocol in Acute Heart Failure (ENACT-HF) study is an international, multicentre, non-randomized, open-label, pragmatic study in AHF patients on chronic loop diuretic therapy, admitted to the hospital for intravenous loop diuretic therapy, aiming to enrol 500 patients. Inclusion criteria are as follows: at least one sign of volume overload (oedema, ascites, or pleural effusion), use ≥ 40 mg of furosemide or equivalent for >1 month, and a BNP > 250 ng/L or an N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide > 1000 pg/L. The study is designed in two sequential phases. During Phase 1, all centres will treat consecutive patients according to the local standard of care. In the Phase 2 of the study, all centres will implement a standardized diuretic protocol in the next cohort of consecutive patients. The protocol is based upon the recently published HFA algorithm on diuretic use and starts with intravenous administration of two times the oral home dose. It includes early assessment of diuretic response with a spot urinary sodium measurement after 2 h and urine output after 6 h. Diuretics will be tailored further based upon these measurements. The study is powered for its primary endpoint of natriuresis after 1 day and will be able to detect a 15% difference with 80% power. Secondary endpoints are natriuresis and diuresis after 2 days, change in congestion score, change in weight, in-hospital mortality, and length of hospitalization.
CONCLUSIONS
The ENACT-HF study will investigate whether a step-wise diuretic approach, based upon early assessment of urinary sodium and urine output as proposed by the HFA, is feasible and able to improve decongestion in AHF with volume overload.
Topics: Diuretics; Furosemide; Heart Failure; Humans; Infusions, Intravenous; Sodium Potassium Chloride Symporter Inhibitors
PubMed: 34708555
DOI: 10.1002/ehf2.13666 -
European Heart Journal Aug 2023Dapagliflozin reduced the combined risk of worsening heart failure or cardiovascular death among patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection...
AIMS
Dapagliflozin reduced the combined risk of worsening heart failure or cardiovascular death among patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction. In this study, the safety and efficacy of dapagliflozin according to background diuretic therapy and the influence of dapagliflozin on longitudinal diuretic use were evaluated.
METHODS AND RESULTS
In this pre-specified analysis of the Dapagliflozin Evaluation to Improve the LIVEs of Patients With Preserved Ejection Fraction Heart Failure (DELIVER) trial, the effects of dapagliflozin vs. placebo were assessed in the following subgroups: no diuretic, non-loop diuretic, and loop diuretic furosemide equivalent doses of <40, 40, and >40 mg, respectively. Of the 6263 randomized patients, 683 (10.9%) were on no diuretic, 769 (12.3%) were on a non-loop diuretic, and 4811 (76.8%) were on a loop diuretic at baseline. Treatment benefits of dapagliflozin on the primary composite outcome were consistent by diuretic use categories (Pinteraction = 0.64) or loop diuretic dose (Pinteraction = 0.57). Serious adverse events were similar between dapagliflozin and placebo arms, irrespective of diuretic use or dosing. Dapagliflozin reduced new initiation of loop diuretics by 32% [hazard ratio (HR) 0.68; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.55-0.84, P < 0.001] but did not influence discontinuations/disruptions (HR 0.98; 95% CI: 0.86-1.13, P = 0.83) in follow-up. First sustained loop diuretic dose increases were less frequent, and sustained dose decreases were more frequent in patients treated with dapagliflozin: net difference of -6.5% (95% CI: -9.4 to -3.6; P < 0.001). The mean dose of loop diuretic increased over time in the placebo arm, a longitudinal increase that was significantly attenuated with treatment with dapagliflozin (placebo-corrected treatment effect of -2.5 mg/year; 95% CI: -1.5, -3.7, P < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
In patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction, the clinical benefits of dapagliflozin relative to placebo were consistent across a wide range of diuretic categories and doses with a similar safety profile. Treatment with dapagliflozin significantly reduced new loop diuretic requirement over time.
Topics: Humans; Diuretics; Heart Failure; Furosemide; Benzhydryl Compounds; Sodium Potassium Chloride Symporter Inhibitors; Stroke Volume; Ventricular Function, Left
PubMed: 37220093
DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehad283 -
European Journal of Heart Failure Apr 2020Appropriate interpretation of changes in markers of kidney function is essential during the treatment of acute and chronic heart failure. Historically, kidney function...
Appropriate interpretation of changes in markers of kidney function is essential during the treatment of acute and chronic heart failure. Historically, kidney function was primarily assessed by serum creatinine and the calculation of estimated glomerular filtration rate. An increase in serum creatinine, also termed worsening renal function, commonly occurs in patients with heart failure, especially during acute heart failure episodes. Even though worsening renal function is associated with worse outcome on a population level, the interpretation of such changes within the appropriate clinical context helps to correctly assess risk and determine further treatment strategies. Additionally, it is becoming increasingly recognized that assessment of kidney function is more than just glomerular filtration rate alone. As such, a better evaluation of sodium and water handling by the renal tubules allows to determine the efficiency of loop diuretics (loop diuretic response and efficiency). Also, though neurohumoral blockers may induce modest deteriorations in glomerular filtration rate, their use is associated with improved long-term outcome. Therefore, a better understanding of the role of cardio-renal interactions in heart failure in symptom development, disease progression and prognosis is essential. Indeed, perhaps even misinterpretation of kidney function is a leading cause of not attaining decongestion in acute heart failure and insufficient dosing of guideline-directed medical therapy in general. This position paper of the Heart Failure Association Working Group on Cardio-Renal Dysfunction aims at improving insights into the interpretation of renal function assessment in the different heart failure states, with the goal of improving heart failure care.
Topics: Cardiology; Diuretics; Glomerular Filtration Rate; Heart Failure; Humans; Kidney
PubMed: 31908120
DOI: 10.1002/ejhf.1697 -
Nature Feb 2023The sodium-chloride cotransporter (NCC) is critical for kidney physiology. The NCC has a major role in salt reabsorption in the distal convoluted tubule of the nephron,...
The sodium-chloride cotransporter (NCC) is critical for kidney physiology. The NCC has a major role in salt reabsorption in the distal convoluted tubule of the nephron, and mutations in the NCC cause the salt-wasting disease Gitelman syndrome. As a key player in salt handling, the NCC regulates blood pressure and is the target of thiazide diuretics, which have been widely prescribed as first-line medications to treat hypertension for more than 60 years. Here we determined the structures of human NCC alone and in complex with a commonly used thiazide diuretic using cryo-electron microscopy. These structures, together with functional studies, reveal major conformational states of the NCC and an intriguing regulatory mechanism. They also illuminate how thiazide diuretics specifically interact with the NCC and inhibit its transport function. Our results provide critical insights for understanding the Na-Cl cotransport mechanism of the NCC, and they establish a framework for future drug design and for interpreting disease-related mutations.
Topics: Humans; Cryoelectron Microscopy; Diuretics; Drug Design; Gitelman Syndrome; Sodium Chloride Symporter Inhibitors; Thiazides
PubMed: 36792826
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05718-0 -
Circulation Jul 2022Effective diuretic regimens using loop diuretics in patients with acute decompensated heart failure are often limited by the development of worsening kidney function.... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Effective diuretic regimens using loop diuretics in patients with acute decompensated heart failure are often limited by the development of worsening kidney function. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors induce glucosuria and sodium excretion with nephroprotective effects in patients with stable heart failure but their role in acute decompensated heart failure is unclear.
METHODS
In this single-center, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study, we randomly assigned patients with acute decompensated heart failure to empagliflozin 25 mg daily or placebo in addition to standard decongestive treatments that included loop diuretics. The primary end point was cumulative urine output over 5 days. Secondary end points included diuretic efficiency, dynamics in markers of kidney function and injury, and NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide).
RESULTS
Sixty patients were randomized within 12 hours of hospitalization for acute decompensated heart failure. Addition of empagliflozin daily to standard medical treatment of acute decompensated heart failure resulted in a 25% increase in cumulative urine output over 5 days (median 10.8 versus 8.7 L mL in placebo, group difference estimation 2.2 L [95% CI, 8.4 to 3.6]; =0.003). Empagliflozin increased diuretic efficiency compared with placebo (14.1 mL urine per milligram furosemide equivalent [95% CI, 0.6-27.7]; =0.041) without affecting markers of renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate, 51±19 versus 54±17 mL/min per 1.73 m²; =0.599) or injury (total urinary protein, 492±845 versus 503±847 mg/g creatinine; =0.975; and urinary α1-microglobulin, 55.4±38.6 versus 31.3±33.6 mg/g creatinine; =0.066) with more pronounced decrease in NT-proBNP in the empagliflozin group compared with placebo (-1861 versus -727.2 pg/mL after 5 days; quotient in slope, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.83-0.95]; <0.001). There were no differences in the incidence of safety events between groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Early addition of empagliflozin to standard diuretic therapy increases urine output without affecting renal function in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.
REGISTRATION
URL: https://www.
CLINICALTRIALS
gov; Unique identifier: NCT04049045.
Topics: Humans; Benzhydryl Compounds; Creatinine; Diuresis; Diuretics; Glucosides; Heart Failure; Kidney; Prospective Studies; Sodium; Sodium Potassium Chloride Symporter Inhibitors; Sodium-Glucose Transporter 2 Inhibitors
PubMed: 35766022
DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.059038 -
Journal of the... 2020Amiloride is a potassium retaining diuretic and natriuretic which acts by reversibly blocking luminal epithelial sodium channels (ENaCs) in the late distal tubule and... (Review)
Review
Amiloride is a potassium retaining diuretic and natriuretic which acts by reversibly blocking luminal epithelial sodium channels (ENaCs) in the late distal tubule and collecting duct. Amiloride is indicated in oedematous states, and for potassium conservation adjunctive to thiazide or loop diuretics for hypertension, congestive heart failure and hepatic cirrhosis with ascites. Historical studies on its use in hypertension were poorly controlled and there is insufficient data on dose-response. It is clearly highly effective in combination with thiazide diuretics where it counteracts the adverse metabolic effects of the thiazides and its use in the Medical Research Council Trial of Older Hypertensive Patients, demonstrated convincing outcome benefits on stroke and coronary events. Recently it has been shown to be as effective as spironolactone in resistant hypertension but there is a real need to establish its potential role in the much larger number of patients with mild to moderate hypertension in whom there is a paucity of information with amiloride particularly across an extended dose range.
Topics: Amiloride; Animals; Clinical Trials as Topic; Diuretics; Humans; Hypertension
PubMed: 33234024
DOI: 10.1177/1470320320975893 -
ESC Heart Failure Feb 2021Venous congestion has emerged as an important cause of renal dysfunction in patients with cardiorenal syndrome. However, only limited progress has been made in... (Review)
Review
Venous congestion has emerged as an important cause of renal dysfunction in patients with cardiorenal syndrome. However, only limited progress has been made in differentiating this haemodynamic phenotype of renal dysfunction, because of a significant overlap with pre-existing renal impairment due to long-term hypertension, diabetes, and renovascular disease. We propose congestive nephropathy (CN) as this neglected clinical entity. CN is a potentially reversible subtype of renal dysfunction associated with declining renal venous outflow and progressively increasing renal interstitial pressure. Venous congestion may lead to a vicious cycle of hormonal activation, increased intra-abdominal pressure, excessive renal tubular sodium reabsorption, and volume overload, leading to further right ventricular (RV) stress. Ultimately, renal replacement therapy may be required to relieve diuretic-resistant congestion. Effective decongestion could preserve or improve renal function. Congestive acute kidney injury may not be associated with cellular damage, and complete renal function restoration may be a confirmatory diagnostic criterion. In contrast, a persistently low renal perfusion pressure might induce renal dysfunction and histopathological lesions with time. Thus, urinary markers may differ. CN is mostly seen in biventricular heart failure but may also occur secondary to pulmonary arterial hypertension and elevated intra-abdominal pressure. An increase in central venous pressure to >6 mmHg is associated with a steep decrease in glomerular filtration rate. However, the central venous pressure range that can provide an optimal balance of RV and renal function remains to be determined. We propose criteria to identify cardiorenal syndrome subgroups likely to benefit from decongestive or pulmonary hypertension-specific therapies and suggest areas for future research.
Topics: Cardio-Renal Syndrome; Diuretics; Glomerular Filtration Rate; Heart Failure; Humans; Kidney
PubMed: 33258308
DOI: 10.1002/ehf2.13118 -
Nature Medicine Oct 2023Measurement of natriuresis has been suggested as a reliable, easily obtainable biomarker for assessment of the response to diuretic treatment in patients with acute... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Measurement of natriuresis has been suggested as a reliable, easily obtainable biomarker for assessment of the response to diuretic treatment in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). Here, to assess whether natriuresis-guided diuretic therapy in patients with AHF improves natriuresis and clinical outcomes, we conducted the pragmatic, open-label Pragmatic Urinary Sodium-based algoritHm in Acute Heart Failure trial, in which 310 patients (45% female) with AHF requiring treatment with intravenous loop diuretics were randomly assigned to natriuresis-guided therapy or standard of care (SOC). In the natriuresis-guided arm, natriuresis was determined at set timepoints, prompting treatment intensification if spot urinary sodium levels were <70 mmol l. The dual primary endpoints were 24 h urinary sodium excretion and a combined endpoint of time to all-cause mortality or adjudicated heart failure rehospitalization at 180 days. The first primary endpoint was met, as natriuresis in the natriuresis-guided and SOC arms was 409 ± 178 mmol arm versus 345 ± 202 mmol, respectively (P = 0.0061). However, there were no significant differences between the two arms for the combined endpoint of time to all-cause mortality or first heart failure rehospitalization, which occurred in 46 (31%) and 50 (31%) of patients in the natriuresis-guided and SOC arms, respectively (hazard ratio 0.92 [95% confidence interval 0.62-1.38], P = 0.6980). These findings suggest that natriuresis-guided therapy could be a first step towards personalized treatment of AHF. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT04606927 .
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Acute Disease; Diuretics; Heart Failure; Natriuresis; Sodium; Sodium Potassium Chloride Symporter Inhibitors
PubMed: 37640861
DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02532-z