Strategies for Assessment of Fluid Overload in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) is the endstage of all heart disease, characterized by inability of either the left or right heart or both to maintain sufficient output of blood for the demands of the body at normal filling pressures. Patients with HF are often admitted to hospital with decompensation and treated with diuretics. Residual congestion at discharge is associated with increased risk of early rehospitalization and adverse outcomes. However, determination of residual decompensation is complicated and a large number of patients admitted with decompensated heart failure are likely discharged before optimal decongestion has been achieved. Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a promising method to determine residual decompensation with the evaluation of B-lines. In this study our primary aim is to evaluate if LUS together with echocardiographic evaluation of filling pressure according to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) algorithm performs better than clinical assessment to determine fluid status and risk of early rehospitalization in patients hospitalized for AHF.