Door-to-furosemide time and clinical outcomes in acute heart failure.

Background And Importance: Acute heart failure (AHF) is one of the main causes of unplanned hospitalization in patients >65 years of age and is associated with adverse outcomes in this population. Observational studies suggest that intravenous diuretic therapy given in the first hour of presentation for AHF was associated with favorable outcomes.

Objectives: To study the short-term prognostic associations of the timing of intravenous diuretic therapy in patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) for acute AHF.