The Arbitrariness of Numbers

Poem titled improved decongestion with the addition of acetazolamide to intravenous loop diuretics for acute heart failure from Dr. Cole Carney of Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. Investigators randomized hospitalized adults with decompensated heart failure to receive 500 milligrams of acetazlamide IV or placebo daily for three days. The primary outcome studied was successful decongestions defined as absence of signs of volume overload within three days of randomization without need for escalating decongestive therapy. More patients in the acetazolamide group achieved the primary outcome than in the placebo group with a number needed to treat of nine.