Add-on Diuretics in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Clinical Study Comparing Empagliflozin, Acetazolamide, and Metolazone as Add-on Therapies to Loop Diuretics in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy and safety of empagliflozin, acetazolamide, and metolazone as add-on therapies to loop diuretics in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Male or female patients older than 18 years.
2. Hospital admission with clinical diagnosis of acute decompensated heart failure with at least one clinical sign of volume overload (e.g. edema, ascites confirmed by echography or pleural effusion confirmed by chest X-ray or echography).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Type 1 diabetes.
2. Chronic kidney disease with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <30 mL/min per 1.73 m² or end-stage kidney failure with the need for chronic dialysis treatment.
3. A systolic blood pressure of less than 90 mmHg.
4. Cardiogenic shock.
5. Receipt of acetazolamide maintenance therapy.
6. Receipt of an SGLT2 inhibitor, thiazide, or thiazide-like diuretic in the 48 hrs before randomization.
7. Any cause of heart failure leading to decompensation that will need urgent management (eg, acute coronary syndrome, unstable arrhythmias, acute pulmonary embolism).
8. Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
9. Moderate to severe anemia.