Discharge Diuretic Dose and 30-Day Readmission Rate in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Loop diuretics play a crucial role in symptom management in patients with fluid overload. There is a paucity of data regarding optimal diuretic dose at hospital discharge for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) patients requiring loop diuretics.

To compare all-cause 30-day readmission in ADHF patients on chronic loop diuretics who had an increase in loop diuretic dose at discharge (relative to their preadmission dose) with patients without a change or a decrease in loop diuretic dose at discharge.

This was a multicenter, retrospective cohort study. Institutional review board approval was obtained. Patients admitted with a primary discharge diagnosis of heart failure, evidence of fluid overload, and reduced ejection fraction were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on total daily loop diuretic dose at discharge: those discharged on an increased dose and those discharged on a dose less than or equal to their preadmission dose.

A total of 131 patient admissions met inclusion criteria; 50 had an increase in loop diuretic dose at discharge, and 81 were discharged with no change or a decrease in diuretic dose. Patients in the increased dose group had an all-cause 30-day readmission rate of 20% compared with 38% of patients with no change or a decrease in diuretic dose (adjusted odds ratio = 0.320; 95% CI = 0.117-0.873).

In patients admitted for ADHF with reduced ejection fraction and evidence of fluid overload, an increase in loop diuretic dose at discharge was associated with a reduced rate of 30-day hospital readmission.