Acetazolamide Added to Standard Treatment to Reduce Weight and Relieve Symptoms in Ambulatory Heart Failure Patients

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What is this study about?

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart cannot pump blood as well as it should, often causing fluid buildup, shortness of breath, and swelling. The study will give participants a medicine called acetazolamide in addition to their usual heart medicines, which may already include a diuretic such as furosemide, to help remove excess fluid.

The purpose of the study is to find out whether adding acetazolamide to standard treatment leads to better removal of fluid and relief of symptoms. Volunteers will take the study drug for a short period, weigh themselves each day on a special scale that sends the information to a remote monitoring system, and have a few check‑ins over the next two weeks to see how they feel and how their weight changes.

1 enrollment and baseline assessment

after signing the consent form you become a participant in the study. the study staff will record your basic information and medical history.

on day 0 you will have a baseline assessment that includes:

weight measured on a connected scale,

a blood sample to measure ntprobnp (a marker that reflects heart failure severity),

questionnaires such as the eq-5d-5l (a health‑related quality of life survey) and the vas score for dyspnea (a scale that rates how short‑of‑breath you feel),

instructions on how to use the remote monitoring equipment that will transmit your daily weight to the study team.

2 randomization to study group

after the baseline assessment you will be randomly assigned to one of two groups:

the experimental group that receives the study medication in addition to your usual heart failure treatment,

or the control group that continues with standard treatment only.

3 start of study medication (experimental group only)

if you are in the experimental group you will begin taking diamox tablets, which contain the active substance acetazolamide.

the prescribed dose is 1000 mg per day, which corresponds to four 250 mg tablets taken by mouth.

the medication is taken once daily for five consecutive days (day 1 through day 5).

you will continue your regular heart failure medicines, including furosemide (a diuretic that helps remove excess fluid), exactly as your physician has instructed.

4 daily weight recording

each morning you will step on the connected scale provided by the study.

the scale automatically sends your weight to the remote monitoring system, so no manual reporting is required.

recording your weight daily is essential for evaluating fluid loss during the trial.

5 day 5 evaluation

on the fifth day you will undergo a study visit (either in‑person or via remote connection) that includes:

measurement of your weight on the scale,

a urine test called a urinary ionogram to assess the amount of sodium excreted (used to calculate diuretic effectiveness),

a blood sample to repeat the ntprobnp measurement,

completion of the same questionnaires used at baseline (eq-5d-5l and vas dyspnea score).

if you received acetazolamide, you will stop the medication after this visit.

6 continued monitoring until day 15

after day 5 you will keep using the connected scale each morning and will report any new symptoms through the remote system.

no further doses of acetazolamide are taken after day 5.

7 day 15 follow‑up visit

on day 15 you will have a follow‑up visit that includes:

weight measurement,

blood test for ntprobnp,

repeat of the quality‑of‑life and dyspnea questionnaires,

clinical assessment of blood pressure, heart rate, and signs of fluid overload.

8 day 90 safety follow‑up

at day 90 the study team will collect information on any unplanned emergency visits, hospitalizations for heart failure, or deaths that may have occurred.

this information is obtained through the remote monitoring system and medical records; no additional actions are required from you beyond the data already transmitted.

Who Can Join the Study?

  • Be at least 18 years old.
  • Have a known diagnosis of heart failure with any level of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) – the measurement that shows how well the heart pumps blood.
  • Be taking the medicines recommended by heart‑failure experts (called guideline‑directed medical therapy) as described in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines.
  • Be monitored at home with remote monitoring that records daily weight on a connected scale (a scale that automatically sends your weight to the clinic).
  • Be on the diuretic medication furosemide (a “water pill”) at a dose of at least 20 mg per day for at least the past 30 days.
  • Currently be in an unplanned hospital stay or have an unexpected doctor visit because of a sudden worsening (acute decompensation) of heart‑failure symptoms.

Who Cannot Join the Study?

  • Unable to give consent or sign the required form because you cannot understand or sign it.
  • Having low cardiac output syndrome or cardiogenic shock – a condition where the heart cannot pump enough blood to the body.
  • Currently using acetazolamide or any other carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, including eye‑drop medicines such as brinzolamide, dorzolamide, or methazolamide.
  • Not covered by public health insurance.
  • Refusing to take part in the study (not giving consent).
  • Being under a legal guardian, court protection, or not free to make decisions (such as being deprived of liberty).
  • Being pregnant or breastfeeding.
  • Being a prisoner or under legal protection.
  • Being a woman who could become pregnant unless you are using an effective method of birth control (for example, oral contraceptives, implants, injections, skin patches, intrauterine devices, condoms with spermicide, abstinence, or having a partner who cannot cause pregnancy).
  • Unable to understand the study instructions or to follow the required visits and tests.
  • Participating in another interventional clinical study at the same time.
  • Having a chronic ventricular assist device (a machine that helps the heart pump) or having received a heart transplant.
  • Taking medicines such as lithium, valproic acid, or valpromide.
  • Taking a high dose of aspirin (more than 300 mg per day).
  • Having an acute heart problem caused by a recent heart attack or similar event within the past month (acute coronary syndrome).
  • Having severe chronic kidney failure or being on dialysis, defined as a kidney filtration rate (GFR) less than 20 ml/min.
  • Having a history of kidney stones (renal colic), a condition called hyperchloremic acidosis, or a wheat allergy (other than celiac disease).
  • Having severe liver disease, identified by certain lab results (PTT less than 50 % or a Child‑Pugh score C), or having known adrenal gland insufficiency (the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones).
  • Being intolerant to sulfonamides (a class of antibiotics).
  • Having an allergy to acetazolamide or any of its ingredients such as calcium carbonate, wheat starch, gelatin, or magnesium stearate.
  • Taking medicines like carbamazepine or quinidine‑type drugs (hydroquinidine, quinidine).

Where you can join this trial?

Verified and Recommended Sites

No sites found in this category

Verified Sites

Site Name City Country Status
Centre Hospitalier Regional Et Universitaire De Brest Brest France
Oncopole Claudius Regaud Toulouse France
Centre Hospitalier De Beziers Beziers France
CHU Grenoble Alpes La Tronche France

Other Sites

Site Name City Country Status
Centre Hospitalier D Avignon Avignon France
Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal Toulon / La Seine-Sur-Mer Toulon France
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire De Caen Normandie Caen France
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire De Montpellier Montpellier France
Centre Hospitalier De Cholet Cholet France
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Amiens Picardie Amiens France
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire De Nimes Nimes France
Hopital Beaujon Clichy France
Union Mut Gestion Groupe Hosp Mutualiste De Grenoble Grenoble France
Les Hopitaux De Chartres Le Coudray France
Centre Hospitalier De Valenciennes Valenciennes France
Hôpital Privé du confluent Nantes France
CHU de Besançon-Hopital Jean Minjoz Besançon France
Centre Hospitalier SUD FRANCILIEN SITE JEAN JAURES Corbeil Essonnes France
Centre Ellipse STRASBOURG, Alsace France
Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire – Hôpitaux de Brabois Vandoeuvre Les Nancy France
Hospices Civils de Lyon – Hôpital Louis Pradel Bron France
CHU Bordeaux Hôpital cardiologique du Haut-Leveque Pessac France
Pole Santé Sud – Elsan Le Mans France
Cefvpe Hbhdtirvnim Di Dpmfc Dreux France
Culgmd Hajnxeezman Reexksfs Dfqyjpafvkcwpc Angers France

Want to learn more about this study or check if you can participate? Contact us.

Trial status

Country Status Recruitment Start
France France
Not yet recruiting
01.06.2026

Trial locations

Investigated drugs:

Acetazolamide is a medication taken by mouth that helps the body get rid of excess fluid. In this study, it is added to the usual medicines for heart failure to see if it can reduce swelling and improve symptoms more quickly.

Furosemide is a common diuretic that people with heart failure often use to remove extra water from the body. In the trial, patients continue their regular dose of this drug, and the researchers compare how well they do with and without the added acetazolamide.

Remote monitoring involves using electronic devices to track patients’ health information, such as weight and heart function, from home. This allows doctors to watch how patients respond to the treatments and adjust care as needed during the study.

Heart failure – Heart failure is a condition in which the heart cannot pump blood as well as it should. It often develops slowly as the heart muscle becomes weaker or less flexible, leading to fluid build‑up in the body. This fluid can collect in the lungs, causing breathlessness, and in the legs or abdomen, causing swelling. Over time the heart’s ability to meet the body’s needs gradually declines, and symptoms may become more noticeable. The disease usually follows a pattern of periods when symptoms worsen and then improve.

Trial ID:
2025-524344-35-00
Protocol code:
RECHMPL24_0295
Trial Phase:
Therapeutic confirmatory (Phase III)

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