How Much Furosemide Should be Administered to Prevent Transfusion-Associated Circulatory Overload? Results of a Dose-Finding Study

BACKGROUND:Transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) is a common but under-reported complication of transfusion therapy, and results in significant morbidity and mortality. Pre-transfusion furosemide has been proposed as a mitigating strategy but has not received widespread endorsement, in part due to uncertainty regarding safe and effective dosing. An observational study was therefore conducted with the goal of creating a reliable dose-response curve in patients at high risk of TACO, using the statistical technique of Multiple Comparisons Procedure with Modelling (MCP-MOD).