Combination of "hypertonic NaCl solution and furosemide" in the treatment of heart failure - 20 years from concept to effective (but possibly still neglected) clinical intervention
Abstract
Heart failure is currently defined as "a clinical syndrome with current (or past) characteristic symptoms and/or signs resulting from: a structural and/or functional cardiac abnormality." Typical signs of heart failure include "the presence of pulmonary or systemic congestion demonstrated by any of the available imaging (X-ray of the lungs, echocardiography) or hemodynamic (right heart catheterization) methods at rest or during exercise". The use of furosemide is one of the routine interventions in clinical practice in patients with symptoms of heart failure.
The use of hypertonic NaCl solution in patients with signs of congestion has in the past been associated with the risk of further circulatory overload. The first information on the clinical effectiveness of the combination of furosemide with hypertonic NaCl solution in patients with refractory heart failure was published in 2000.