Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesRandomised controlled trial
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Thoracentesis in Acute Heart Failure
- Randomised controlled trial
- multicentre
- unblinded
Authors' conclusion
For patients with acute heart failure and pleural effusion, a strategy of upfront routine thoracentesis in addition to standard medical therapy did not increase days alive out of the hospital for 90 days, all-cause mortality, or duration of index admission.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with acute HF, LVEF ≤45% and non-negligible pleural effusion (very large effusions excluded)
- Participants
- 135 patients
- Comparison
- Thoracentesis vs Standard medical therapy
- Thoracentesisn = 68
- Standard medical therapyn = 67reference
- Primary endpoint
- Days alive out of hospital
- Follow-up
- 90 days
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
P = 0.42
Secondary outcomes
All-cause mortality · 90 days · no difference
P = 0.90
Duration of index admission
P = 0.69
Safety
- Major complications of thoracentesis
- 1%
Original publication
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Thoracentesis in Acute Heart Failure. Circulation. Published 1 April 2025. doi:10.1161/circulationaha.124.073521
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it