ULTRAFILTRATION IN ACUTE DECOMPENSATED HEART FAILURE

Course overview

ACUTE DECOMPENSATED HEART FAILURE (ADHF) ASSOCIATED WITH VOLUME OVERLOAD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AN INCREASING NUMBER OF HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS. THE VOLUME OVERLOAD CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO MEDICATION NONCOMPLIANCE, COMORBIDITIES, DIET, MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS, DISEASE PROGRESSION, AND/OR TREATMENT FAILURE. THE STANDARD TREATMENT FOR VOLUME OVERLOAD IN PATIENTS WITH ADHF IS USUALLY PHARMACOLOGIC, INVOLVING INTRAVENOUS (IV) DIURESIS, MAINLY WITH LOOP DIURETICS. EXTRACORPOREAL ULTRAFILTRATION (UF) IS AN EMERGING ALTERNATIVE THERAPY FOR TREATING VOLUME OVERLOAD IN ACUTE DECOMPENSATED HEART FAILURE PATIENTS. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE INDICATIONS FOR ULTRAFILTRATION IN ACUTE DECOMPENSATED HEART FAILURE PATIENTS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THESE PATIENTS.