Not all Water Pills are Equally Effective for Heart Failure

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Not all Water Pills are Equally Effective for Heart Failure
 

– Reported, April 02, 2013

 

(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Water pills, also known as loop diuretics, are the most prescribed heart failure medications, but few studies have compared their effectiveness until now. A recent study out of Yale School of Medicine examined three approved loop diuretics and discovered that one of them offers more benefits, but is rarely prescribed.

“Loop diuretics are a cornerstone of heart failure treatment, so it is vital to understand the comparative effectiveness and real-world use of the drugs within this class,” lead author Behnood Bikdeli, MD, postdoctoral associate in cardiovascular medicine at the Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE), was quoted as saying.

Over five million Americans suffer from heart failure. Dr. Bikdeli says improving treatment options is important for providing sufficient care. So, researchers compared the benefits of three loop diuretics: furosemide, toresemide, and bumetanide.

Researchers found that among 274,515 hospitalizations for heart failure during 2009 and 2010 across U.S. hospitals, 92 percent received loop diuretics during their hospital stay. Out of that group, 87 percent received furosemide as their only loop diuretic, 3 percent received bumetanide, only 0.4 percent received torsemide, and 10 percent received a combination of the drugs.

Torsemide was found to be slightly more expensive, but studies suggest that it lasts longer, is tolerated better, and might be associated with better clinical outcomes when compared to the other loop diuretics.

“There appears to be potential benefits from using torsemide compared with furosemide, but it is rarely used in practice. Furosemide is the dominantly used loop diuretic in practice. However, if the potential advantages of torsemide over furosemide are proven in subsequent comparative effectiveness studies, this drug might become the preferred treatment of chronic heart failure,” Dr. Bikdeli explained.

SOURCE: American College of Cardiology, April 2013