Salt water added to furosemide for acute heart failure in hospital
Tests adding one salt-water infusion to furosemide in people hospitalized with acute heart failure.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: DESAL-HEART: Hypertonic Saline Added to a Pre-declared Furosemide Dose in Acute Heart Failure
Key facts
- Where
- Edmonton, CanadaSee the site
- Phase
- Phase 4
AI summary: who the study is looking for
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults in hospital with acute heart failure who still have fluid build-up and are due another furosemide dose by vein. It tests adding a salt-water infusion.
- Age
- 18 years or older
- Sex
- All sexes
- Disease stage
- Acute heart failure with breathlessness and at least two signs of fluid build-up: fluid in the lungs on chest X-ray, crackling lung sounds, clear leg or ankle swelling, or raised neck vein pressure. Fluid build-up must persist, with a plan for another furosemide dose by vein. Joining must happen within 24 hours of the hospital admission order.
- Earlier treatment
- Must not have already had hypertonic saline during this hospital stay.
- Biomarker or test result
- NT-proBNP of 1000 pg/mL or higher. Kidney function (eGFR) above 15 mL/min/1.73 m². Blood sodium of 125 mmol/L or higher and below 145 mmol/L.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Hypertonic saline already given during this stay
- Medical need for hypertonic saline as a treatment
- Allergy or intolerance to hypertonic saline or furosemide
- Need for mechanical circulatory support
- Kidney failure needing dialysis, or no urine production
Read by machine on 11 November 2026.
Where in Canada
- University of AlbertaEdmonton, CanadaNo longer taking part
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorTrial details
- Who runs it
- University of Alberta
- Trial code
- NCT07927127
- Record updated
- 10 November 2026
- Original description
DESAL-HEART is a multicenter, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint, mechanistic proof-of-concept trial conducted within the Heart Failure Efficacy and Research Trial (HEART) Platform. The study will evaluate whether adding a single infusion of 3% hypertonic saline solution (HSS) to a pre-declared intravenous furosemide dose improves decongestion in patients hospitalized with acute heart failure.Read full original descriptionShow less
DESAL-HEART: Hypertonic Saline Added to a Pre-declared Furosemide Dose in Acute Heart Failure
DESAL-HEART is a multicenter, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint, mechanistic proof-of-concept trial conducted within the Heart Failure Efficacy and Research Trial (HEART) Platform. The study will evaluate whether adding a single infusion of 3% hypertonic saline solution (HSS) to a pre-declared intravenous furosemide dose improves decongestion in patients hospitalized with acute heart failure.
Inclusion: Adults aged 18 years or older; Primary diagnosis of acute heart failure with dyspnea and at least two of the following signs of congestion:; Pulmonary congestion on chest radiograph; Rales on chest auscultation; Clinically relevant peripheral edema; Elevated jugular venous pressure; Randomization within 24 hours of the hospital admission order or admitted status, with admission to a hospital ward or intensive care unit, including patients remaining in the emergency department awaiting transfer; Persistent congestion with a clinical plan for another intravenous furosemide dose; NT-proBNP ≥1000 pg/mL, regardless of the presence of atrial fibrillation; Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) >15 mL/min/1.73 m²; Serum sodium ≥125 mmol/L and <145 mmol/L; Meets the eligibility requirements of the HEART Platform Master Protocol.
Exclusion: Contraindication to either study treatment, including known allergy, hypersensitivity, or intolerance to hypertonic saline or furosemide; Dialysis-dependent kidney failure or anuria (absence of urine production); Treating physician's judgment that either treatment strategy is inappropriate, or any condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, would make participation unsafe or interfere with interpretation of study results; Hypertonic saline already administered during the current presentation; A clinical indication for therapeutic hypertonic saline; Requirement for mechanical circulatory support.