Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure

Chlorothiazide, the first member of the benzothiadiazine family to become available for use, achieved almost immediate clinical popularity as an effective oral diuretic. More recently, another thiazide derivative, hydrochlorothiazide, has been introduced. The initial clinical reports’3�’ have suggested that the newer drug possesses distinct pharmacologic advantages over chlorothiazide in regard to its greater diuretic effectiveness and lesser kaliuretic response. It is the purpose of this report to review our experiences with a large series of patients with congestive heart failure treated with hydrochlorothiazide.*