Dilemmas in the Dosing of Heart Failure Drugs: Titrating Diuretics in Chronic Heart Failure

Abstract

Despite advances in medical therapy over the past few decades, the incidence of heart failure hospitalisation continues to rise. Diuretics are the most common therapy used to treat heart failure as they relieve congestion. However, there is a lack of guidance on how to best use these medications. Guidelines support the use of diuretics at the lowest clinically effective dose but do not specify a diuretic strategy beyond that. Here we review the diuretics available for treatment, potential mechanisms of diuretic resistance and ways to address this in the ambulatory setting, and review tools that have been developed to help guide diuretic use in the treatment of chronic heart failure.