ORAL TORSEMIDE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC CONGESTIVE-HEART-FAILURE - EFFECTS ON BODY-WEIGHT, EDEMA, AND ELECTROLYTE EXCRETION

Study Objective. To assess the effects of torsemide on the primary end point of change in body weight from baseline, and the following secon dary end points: urinary sodium, potassium, and chloride excretion, an d urine volume after the first dose of drug. Design. Randomized, paral lel, double-blind, multicenter study in patients treated with torsemid e 5 mg(n=19), 10 mg (n=18), or 20 mg (n=14), or placebo (n=15) for 7 d ays. Patients. Sixty-six patients with New York Heart Association clas s II or III congestive heart failure and edema. Results. At the end of the study, patients treated with torsemide 10 and 20 mg demonstrated a significant reduction in body weight compared with those receiving p lacebo (-1.62 and -1.30 kg, respectively), and those treated with tors emide 5 mg did not (-0.60 kg). The severity of edema decreased with in creasing torsemide dose. Torsemide caused no greater frequency of adve rse effects with increasing dose. Conclusion. Orally administered tors emide 5, 10, and 20 mg once/day for 7 days were well tolerated. Doses of 10 and 20 mg were effective in producing weight loss.