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Protocolised Natriuresis-Guided Decongestion at Different Diuretic Intensities in Acute Heart Failure

Protocolised Decongestive Strategies With Natriuretic Guidance in Acute Heart Failure - Results of The 'DESTINaTE-AHF' Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07804654
Acronym
DESTINaTE-AHF
Enrollment
109
Registered
2026-09-04
Start date
2026-01-01
Completion date
2026-07-31
Last updated
2026-09-04

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Acute Heart Failure (AHF)

Keywords

Acute Heart Failure, Natriuresis, Furosemide, Diuresis, Sodium

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how different doses of a water-removing medicine (diuretic) work in adults admitted to hospital with acute heart failure. It will also assess the safety of these treatment approaches. The main questions this study aims to answer are: Does starting with a higher or lower dose of diuretic affect how much sodium and urine the body removes during the first 24 hours? Are there differences in side effects or short-term health outcomes between the treatment approaches? Researchers will compare two treatment approaches that use urine sodium and urine output to guide diuretic treatment with standard care. Participants will receive intravenous diuretic treatment and have their urine sodium, urine output, symptoms, blood tests, and clinical outcomes assessed.

Detailed description

DESTINaTE-AHF evaluated whether the intensity of upfront intravenous loop diuretic therapy influences early decongestive response when treatment is subsequently guided by objective measures of diuretic response. Urinary sodium concentration and urine output were assessed early after treatment and incorporated into predefined treatment algorithms to identify inadequate response and guide subsequent diuretic therapy during the first 24 hours. Two natriuresis-guided strategies using different upfront diuretic intensities were evaluated against usual clinician-directed care. This design allowed assessment of whether the initial intensity of loop diuretic therapy influences subsequent natriuretic and diuretic response within a protocolised response-guided approach.

Interventions

DRUGFurosemide - HIGH-dose Natriuresis-Guided Strategy

Intravenous furosemide was administered according to a predefined HIGH-dose natriuresis-guided protocol during the first 24 hours. For participants not receiving chronic loop diuretic therapy, the protocol-defined 24-hour dose was 80 mg. For chronic loop diuretic users, the protocol-defined 24-hour dose was calculated as 2.5 times their total home oral daily furosemide-equivalent dose and administered intravenously in divided doses. Urinary sodium at 2 and 6 hours and urine output at 6 hours were used to guide subsequent dosing according to predefined response criteria.

DRUGFurosemide - LOW-dose Natriuresis-Guided Strategy

Intravenous furosemide was administered according to a predefined LOW-dose natriuresis-guided protocol during the first 24 hours. For participants not receiving chronic loop diuretic therapy, the protocol-defined 24-hour dose was 60 mg. For chronic loop diuretic users, the protocol-defined 24-hour dose was calculated as 1.5 times their total home oral daily furosemide-equivalent dose and administered intravenously in divided doses. Urinary sodium at 2 and 6 hours and urine output at 6 hours were used to guide subsequent dosing according to predefined response criteria.

DRUGLoop Diuretic - Standard of Care

Intravenous loop diuretic therapy was administered according to the treating clinician's usual practice. The dose and subsequent adjustment of loop diuretic therapy were determined by the treating clinical team without a protocol-mandated dosing or escalation strategy. Urinary sodium and urine output were assessed at the same study time points as in the natriuresis-guided groups, but no protocol-directed treatment adjustment was mandated based on these measurements.

Sponsors

Universiti Teknologi Mara
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Age 18 years or older * Malaysian nationality * Hospitalised with acute heart failure, either de novo acute heart failure or acute decompensated chronic heart failure * Clinical evidence of congestion requiring intravenous loop diuretic therapy, with at least one of the following: peripheral oedema, orthopnoea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea, pulmonary crepitations, elevated jugular venous pressure, ascites, or congestive hepatomegaly * Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

* End-stage renal disease requiring chronic dialysis * Requirement or anticipated requirement for invasive mechanical ventilation * Requirement or anticipated requirement for inotropic or vasopressor support * Requirement or anticipated requirement for renal replacement therapy * Cardiogenic shock or systolic blood pressure below 100 mmHg * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * Known hypersensitivity to furosemide

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
24-Hour Urinary Sodium ExcretionFrom randomisation to 24 hoursTotal urinary sodium excretion during the first 24 hours after randomisation, calculated from the 24-hour urine collection and expressed in mmol.
24-Hour Urine VolumeFrom randomisation to 24 hoursTotal urine volume collected during the first 24 hours after randomisation, expressed in litres.
Change From Baseline in Breathlessness Likert Score at 24 HoursBaseline and 24 hours after randomisationChange in participant-reported breathlessness from baseline to 24 hours, assessed using a 5-point Likert scale. Higher scores indicate greater improvement in breathlessness.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Length of StayFrom the date of hospital admission until the date of hospital discharge, assessed up to 30 days.Duration of the index hospitalisation, calculated from the first day of hospital admission to discharge and expressed in days.
Worsening Renal Function at DischargeFrom baseline to hospital discharge, assessed up to 30 days.Worsening renal function was defined as a doubling of serum creatinine or a greater than 50% reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at hospital discharge compared with baseline.
30-Day Unplanned Heart Failure RehospitalisationFrom hospital discharge to 30 days after dischargeNumber of participants with at least one unplanned hospital readmission for heart failure within 30 days after discharge from the index hospitalisation.
All-Cause Mortality Through 30 Days After Hospital DischargeFrom randomisation to 30 days after hospital dischargeNumber of participants who died from any cause from randomisation through 30 days after hospital discharge, including deaths occurring during the index hospitalisation.

Countries

Malaysia

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORNor Afiqah Mohd Sebri, MB BCh BAO

Universiti Teknologi Mara

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Sep 5, 2026