Oral Sodium to Preserve Renal EfficiencY in Acute Heart Failure (OSPREY-AHF)

June 23, 2026 updated by: Wilson Tang, The Cleveland Clinic

Oral Sodium to Preserve Renal EfficiencY in Acute Heart Failure (OSPREY-AHF)

The investigators are proposing a prospective, randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled single center study evaluating the role of co-administration of oral sodium chloride (NaCl) with intravenous diuretics in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure. The investigators are approaching this study with the hypothesis that the use of oral sodium chloride leads to improved effective diuresis (as measured by weight loss) and renal function as compared to placebo in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure undergoing aggressive intravenous diuretic therapy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Dietary sodium restriction is a common therapeutic intervention in the management of patients hospitalized with decompensated heart failure. This is despite limited supportive data and inconsistent society guidelines.1-3 Randomized clinical trial data has shown that dietary sodium restriction in patients hospitalized with heart failure was not associated with differences in weight, clinical congestion, time to clinical stability but was associated with increased thirst.4 Numerous studies demonstrate that sodium restriction is associated with increased Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) activation as well as increases in inflammatory markers.5,6 These findings challenge of the role of sodium restriction in hospital management of heart failure and have lead to trials that consider a therapeutic role of providing sodium to patients with acute heart failure for its effect in attenuating neurohormonal activation during aggressive diuresis. A central example is the SMAC-HF study from Italy, which showed that in 1771 patients with acute New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV heart failure, the addition of hypertonic saline (150ml of 1.4%-4.6% NaCl twice a day in addition to diet liberalization led to statistically significant increased urine output and weight loss in addition to reductions in creatinine, length of stay, mortality and readmissions.7 These findings are controversial but similarly favorable results with the use of hypertonic saline in aiding diuresis have been seen in Japan with improved diuresis with continuous hypertonic saline infusions.8 Despite these results, use of sodium chloride supplementation in acute heart failure remains limited. This may be because the practice challenges ingrained clinical practice, but a more likely reason is that the manner of sodium chloride delivery in these trials (hypertonic saline) is often reserved for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setting and central venous access for delivery. While small volumes of hypertonic saline are likely safe to be administered in a non-ICU setting, the results would be more broadly applicable and utilized if the manner of sodium supplementation did not require intensive monitoring or central venous access, ie oral supplementation. Therefore, the purpose of the "Oral Sodium to Preserve Renal EfficiencY in Acute Heart Failure" (OSPREY-AHF) is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral sodium chloride supplementation compared to placebo in patients with acute decompensated heart failure. While the investigators are specifically interested in sodium chloride and its hypothesized role in attenuating a neurohormonally mediated diuretic resistance commonly seen in patients requiring high dose diuretic therapy, the investigators also intend that by focusing on oral sodium chloride supplementation the investigators may clarify the role of dietary sodium restriction in hospitalized patients with acute heart failure.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
67

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Ohio
      • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44195
        • Cleveland Clinic

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 18 years old AND
  • Admitted to cardiology floor (non-ICU) with primary diagnosis of decompensated heart failure AND
  • NT-proBNP >1000 ng/L AND
  • Initiation of continuous furosemide infusion at a rate of 10 mg/hr or higher

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Serum sodium (Na+) level less than 120 or greater than 145.
  • Average Systolic Blood Pressure >180 mmHg or Diastolic Blood Pressure >100 mmHg over past 24 hours.
  • Anticipated length of stay less than 72 hours.
  • Use of vasopressin antagonist
  • Current use of sodium chloride tablets
  • Active diagnosis of diabetes insipidus
  • Inability to tolerate oral diet or swallow pills
  • Presence of malabsorptive gastrointestinal disorder (Crohn's disease, short gut syndrome)
  • The use of iodinated radiocontrast material in the past 72 hours or anticipated use of intravenous contrast during the current hospitalization
  • Admission with intention to transplant or implant permanent Ventricular Assistive Device
  • Use of intravenous inotropes, vasopressors or vasodilators at enrollment
  • A baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate <15 mL/min/1.73m² according to the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) formula at the moment of inclusion
  • Use of renal replacement therapy at time of enrollment

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Oral Sodium Chloride
Subject will be given 2 grams of oral sodium chloride three times daily with meals for approximately 4 days
Dietary supplement: Oral Sodium Chloride
Subjects will be randomized to receive 2 grams oral Sodium Chloride three times daily with meals for approximately 4 days
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Subject will be given a placebo orally three times daily with meals for approximately 4 days
Other: Placebo
Subjects will be randomized to receive a placebo three times daily with meals for approximately 4 days.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Weight
Time Frame: Baseline to 96 hours
Measured in kilograms
Baseline to 96 hours
Change in Creatinine
Time Frame: Baseline to 96 hours
Measured in milliequivalents per Liter
Baseline to 96 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
The Cleveland Clinic

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: W. H. Wilson Tang, MD, The Cleveland Clinic

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 20, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2022

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 1, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 2, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 6, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 23, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 20-183

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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