Table 1 The list of clinical trials assessing the role of ultrafiltration included in our study
Name | Year Published | Type of Study | Summary | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ultrafiltration versus usual care for hospitalized patients with heart failure: the Relief for Acutely Fluid-Overloaded Patients with Decompensated Congestive Heart Failure (RAPID-CHF) trial [18] | 2005 | Randomized controlled trial | Early treatment with ultrafiltration in patients with acute decompensated heart failure resulted in significant weight loss and fluid removal | A small patient population was enrolled (a total of 40 patients) |
Ultrafiltration versus intravenous diuretics for patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (UNLOAD) [17] | 2007 | Randomized, controlled trial | Ultrafiltration produced greater weight and fluid loss and reduced 90-day risk of rehospitalization compared to intravenous diuretics | The cost-effectiveness of ultrafiltration was not established |
Ultrafiltration in Decompensated Heart Failure with Cardiorenal Syndrome (CARESS-HF) [15], [16] | 2012 | Randomized, controlled trial | Serum creatinine was significantly increased 96 h after enrollment in ultrafiltration group and there was no significant difference weight loss, mortality or rehospitalization compared to diuretic group | The trial was randomized but the treatment assignments were not blinded |
Aquapheresis Versus Intravenous Diuretics and Hospitalizations for Heart Failure (AVOID-HF) [19] | 2016 | Randomized controlled trial | Ultrafiltration group trended toward a longer time to the first heart failure event within 90 days of intervention | The trial was terminated prematurely by the sponsor after enrollment of 224 patients |
Early continuous ultrafiltration in Chinese patients with congestive heart failure (EUC-CHF) [21] | 2019 | Prospective Cohort Study | A study designed to evaluate the efficacy of early ultrafiltration (within 24 h of hospital admission). The trial aims to determine if early ultrafiltration is superior to intravenous loop diuretics | A limited number of patients enrolled in two treatment groups (a total of 40) |
Efficacy and safety of early ultrafiltration in patients with acute decompensated heart failure with volume overload [20] | 2020 | Prospective, randomized, controlled trial | Early ultrafiltration was found to be superior to diuretics (torsemide plus tolvaptan) for treatment of patients with acute decompensated heart failure | No significant differences were found in readmission and mortality rates among the two groups at 1- and 3-month follow-ups |