MRI Assessment of Pulmonary Edema in Acute Heart Failure
Researchers are testing a more accurate way to measure how much fluid is in the lungs (also called pulmonary edema, or increased lung water) in people with Heart Failure (HF) using MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). There is little known about the exact level of lung water in patients with AHF or how these levels change from the time of hospital admission to discharge. The purpose of this research study is to measure the lung water in patients hospitalized for HF, to determine the change in lung water over the course of hospitalization and treatment, and to find out if lung water levels can predict if patients are higher or lower risk for returning to the hospital or dying from heart failure.
• 18 years of age or older and willing/able to provide informed consent
• patients being treated for acute heart failure (including those patients with both reduced and preserved ejection fraction)
• patients receiving medical therapy for pulmonary edema by current standard of care (including oral or IV diuretics)
• patients identified within 48 hours of initiation of medical therapy for pulmonary edema, defined as the time of first diuretic (IV or PO) or escalation of existing diuretic therapy administered within the ED or hospital