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Fluid overload commonly accompanies many disorders, affecting both hospitalized patients and outpatients. In the advanced stages of many medical conditions, such as heart failure, liver failure, and kidney disease, fluid overload is associated with significant morbidity and its management can be challenging.
Even in the absence of the above conditions, hospitalized patients (e.g., post-operative patients) may develop severe fluid overload. Recent studies suggest fluid overload is an independent and significant contributor to mortality in critically ill patients with sepsis.
A prominent manifestation of fluid overload is edema (tissue swelling) and it may be readily evident (e.g., in the legs) or not evident (e.g., in the lungs or other internal organs).
More than 5 million U.S. patients and 26 million patients worldwide have heart failure and a significant percentage of these patients have advanced disease. Most patients with advanced heart failure (Class III or IV) have fluid overload, which is responsible for the vast majority of hospitalizations in this population.The rate of growth of the heart failure population is currently estimated at 8% in the U.S. and is not expected to change significantly in the near future.
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