Heart failure & cardiomyopathies
Utilization patterns and determinants of guideline-recommended therapies for acute heart failure in Denmark
Authors' conclusion
Loop diuretics were widely used, while vasodilators, inotropes, and vasopressors had lower utilization. The observed variation in treatment reflects complexity of inpatient AHF management, warranting further studies to assess treatment outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Patients aged ≥45 years hospitalized with acute heart failure (AHF) with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of ≤40% in Denmark from 2018 to 2023patients hospitalized with AHF with LVEF ≤40%
- Participants
- 6,009 patients
- Outcome
- Inpatient use and doses of loop diuretics, vasodilators, inotropes, and vasopressors
- Follow-up
- Inpatient
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Loop diuretics used
- 88.7%
- Median dose (MD) of furosemide, parenteral
- 50 mg
- Median dose (MD) of furosemide, oral
- 40 mg
- Vasodilators administered
- 36.1%
- MD of nitroglycerine, parenteral
- 30 mg
- MD of nitroglycerine, oral
- 7.5 mg
- Inotropes administered
- 3.0%
- Dopamine
- 0.5%
- Dobutamine
- 1.0%
- Milrinone
- 0.9%
- Levosimendan
- 1.1%
- Vasopressors used
- 8.4%
- Norepinephrine
- 7.3%
- Epinephrine
- 2.0%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Determinants of AHF therapy use
- Older patients (≥75) had lower prevalence of vasodilator, inotrope, and vasopressor use
- Severe HF (LVEF < 25%) was associated with lower prevalence of vasodilator and vasopressor use
- Chronic kidney disease and recurrent HF hospitalization were linked to higher prevalence of use of all AHF therapies
Original publication
Utilization patterns and determinants of guideline-recommended therapies for acute heart failure in Denmark. Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care. Published 26 November 2025. doi:10.
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