Effects of Triamterene in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure and Diuretic Resistance: A Randomized Clinical...

Due to the potential benefits of triamterene in diuretic resistance, this study was performed to assess whether triamterene add-on to the standard treatment of heart failure (HF)-related diuretic resistance improves outcomes. A randomized clinical trial was performed on 45 hospitalized patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction who had diuretic resistance. Patients were randomized to receive either triamterene 50 mg plus hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg (n = 23) or hydrochlorothiazide 50 mg alone (n = 22) until hospital discharge. The primary outcomes were changes in weight and fluid input-to-output ratio. Secondary outcomes were respiratory rate, hospitalization duration, serum sodium and potassium, estimated glomerular filtration rate, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen levels during the study period. The mean (standard deviation) of weight changes was not significantly different in the intervention and the control groups (-6.3 [4.8] vs -4.8 [2.4] kg, respectively; P = .1). No significant differences were shown in input-to-output changes between the 2 groups (208.0 [243.4] in the intervention and 600.2 [250.3] in the control group; P = .4). Although the respiratory rate of triamterene-treated patients decreased, the difference did not reach statistical significance (P = .2). Other secondary outcomes were also similar in both groups. This study did not support the use of triamterene as an add-on therapy for patients with HF-related diuretic resistance.