Which of the following is NOT listed as a medication used to reduce fluid load and improve heart function in CHF?

• A. Diuretics
• B. Antihypertensives
• C. Digitalis
• D. Nitrates

Answer: (C)

In heart failure, the goal is to ease congestion by removing excess fluid and to boost the heart’s pumping ability. Diuretics directly promote diuresis to reduce fluid overload, helping relieve edema and pulmonary congestion. Nitrates mainly reduce preload by venodilation, which lowers filling pressures and helps with symptoms. Antihypertensives (like ACE inhibitors, ARBs, beta-blockers) improve how the heart works by decreasing afterload and preventing remodeling, which also supports better function and can reduce the workload on the heart. Digitalis, on the other hand, increases the heart’s contractility to improve pumping efficiency, but it does not primarily reduce fluid load. Its role is more about improving myocardial performance and rate control in certain contexts, rather than diuresis or preload reduction. So the medication that is not used to reduce fluid load is digitalis.