Delays in Door-to-Diuretic Time and 1-Year Mortality Among Patients With Heart Failure

Background Achieving prompt euvolemic state in heart failure (HF) is associated with reduced mortality. Time-sensitive metrics such as door-to-diuretic time, or the time between presentation and administration of intravenous diuretics, may be an important facilitator of achieving a faster euvolemic state and reducing mortality. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate whether reduced door-to-diuretic time was associated with lower odds of death among hospitalized patients with HF. Methods A retrospective chart review of patients with HF admitted to a medical center was performed between 2020 and 2021. Inclusion criteria were an International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision code for HF with positive Framingham Criteria and the use of intravenous bolus furosemide. Exclusion criteria included ventricular assist devices, dialysis, and ultrafiltration therapy. Data collected from the medical records included demographics, echocardiography, staff notes, and medications. The end point was 1-year all-cause mortality. Descriptive statistics, t tests or median test, and multivariate logistic regression were used to describe the sample, evaluate group differences, and determine odds of mortality, respectively. Results Among 160 charts from patients with HF (age, 70 +/- 14.4 years; 52%, n = 83, male; 53%, n = 85, ischemic cardiomyopathy; 83%, n = 134, New York Heart Association classes III-IV), 30% (n = 48) died within 1 year. The median diuretic dose was 40 mg (interquartile range, 20 mg), with a median time of administration of 247 minutes (4.12 hours) (interquartile range, 294 minutes to 4.9 hours). After covariate adjustment, prolonged door-to-diuretic time more than doubled (2.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-4.8; P = .04) the odds of 1-year mortality. Conclusions On the basis of this sample of charts from older highly symptomatic patients with HF, delayed door-to-diuretic time was associated with significantly greater odds of 1-year all-cause mortality.