Intensive Diuretics Boost Fluid Loss, Kidney Injury in Heart Failure
United States – October 29, 2026 -- High-dose loop diuretics combined with adjuvant therapy produced an adjusted average weight loss of 4.6 pounds in heart failure inpatients, the largest of any strategy, but also came with higher rates of acute kidney injury, according to a study in the Journal of Cardiac Failure.
Study tracks 109,000 heart failure patients across US health systems
Researchers used Truveta Data to identify more than 109,000 patients hospitalized for heart failure between 2015 and 2022. Patients were grouped by the most intensive diuretic strategy used within the first 48 hours, ranging from low-dose loop diuretics alone to high-dose loop diuretics combined with thiazides or acetazolamide.
The team measured weight loss, hemoconcentration, in-hospital acute kidney injury, and the combined outcome of readmission or death within 90 days.
