Intermittent furosemide administration in patients with or at risk for acute kidney injury: Meta-analysis of randomized trials.

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Intermittent furosemide administration in patients with or at risk for acute kidney injury: Meta-analysis of randomized trials.

PLoS One. 2018;13(4):e0196088

Authors: Bove T, Belletti A, Putzu A, Pappacena S, Denaro G, Landoni G, Bagshaw SM, Zangrillo A

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Furosemide is the most common loop diuretic used worldwide. The off-label administration of furosemide bolus(es) for the prevention or to reverse acute kidney injury (AKI) is widespread but not supported by available evidence. We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized trials (RCTs) to investigate whether bolus furosemide to prevent or treat AKI is detrimental on patients' survival.
METHODS: Electronic databases were searched through October 2017 for RCTs comparing bolus furosemide administration versus any comparator in patients with or at risk for AKI. The primary endpoint was all-cause longest follow-up mortality. Secondary endpoints included new or worsening AKI, receipt of renal replacement therapy, length of hospital stay, and peak serum creatinine after randomization.
RESULTS: A total of 28 studies randomizing 3,228 patients were included in the analysis. We found no difference in mortality between the two groups (143/892 [16%] in the furosemide group versus 141/881 [16%] in the control group; odds ratio [OR], 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63 to 1.13; p = 0.25). No significant differences in secondary outcomes were found. A significant improvement in survival was found in the subgroup of patients receiving furosemide bolus(es) as a preventive measure (43/613 [7.0%] versus 67/619 [10.8%], OR 0.62; 95% CI, 0.41 to 0.94; p = 0.03).
CONCLUSIONS: Intermittent furosemide administration is not associated with an increased mortality in patients with or at risk for AKI, although it may reduce mortality when used as a preventive measure. Future high-quality RCTs are needed to define the role of loop diuretics in AKI prevention and management.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO database for systematic reviews (Registration no. CRD42017078607 - http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?ID=CRD42017078607).

PMID: 29689116 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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