Aerosol furosemide for dyspnea: High-dose controlled delivery does not improve effectiveness.

ABSTRACT: Published studies have shown great variability in response when aerosolized furosemide has been tested as a palliative treatment for dyspnea. We hypothesized that a higher furosemide dose with controlled aerosol administration would produce consistent dyspnea relief. We optimized deposition by controlling inspiratory flow (300-500mL/s) and tidal volume (15% predicted vital capacity) while delivering 3.4μm aerosol from either saline or 80mg of furosemide. We induced dyspnea in healthy subjects by varying inspired PCO₂ while restricting minute ventilation. Subjects rated "Breathing Discomfort" on a Visual Analog Scale (BDVAS, 100% Full Scale≡intolerable). At the PET_CO2 producing 60% BDVAS pre-treatment, furosemide produced a clinically meaningful reduction of

SUBMITTER: Banzett RB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6358582 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature