Ultrafiltration for acute decompensated heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Current clinical guidelines recommend ultrafiltration (UF) for patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) who are unresponsive or resistant to diuretics. We systematically reviewed the latest randomized evidence on the efficacy and safety of UF in ADHF.

METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane database were searched in January 2013 for eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating UF in patients with ADHF. A Mantel-Haenszel random-effects model was used to calculate mean differences (MDs) and odds ratios (ORs) for continuous and dichotomous data, respectively, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS: Data of 12 studies (n=659) were meta-analyzed; follow-up duration ranged from 36 h to 12 months. Compared to control, treatment of UF was associated with significant fluid removal (MD 1.28, 95% CI 0.43 to 2.12, P=0.003) and weight loss (MD 1.23, 95% CI 0.03 to 2.44, P=0.04), with no significant effects on all-cause mortality (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.86, P=0.77) or all-cause rehospitalization (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.39 to 2.00, P=0.77). No significant differences were observed in the analyses of change in serum creatinine or unscheduled medical care; analysis of adverse effects was inconclusive since only one study provided usable data.

CONCLUSIONS: For patients with ADHF, UF is effective in reducing fluid retention and body weight, with no significant benefits in mortality or rehospitalization. The current limited randomized evidence highlights the need for further well-conducted randomized studies of adequate power to establish the role of UF in ADHF patients for whom conventional HF treatment is unsuccessful or contraindicated.