Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a highly prevalent disease throughout the world that is preventable and treatable. Dyspnea resulting from COPD can be detrimental to the quality of life of patients; thus, finding ways to alleviate breathing discomfort is clinically significant. In patients with COPD, pulmonary function values are linked to the severity of symptoms and confirms the presence of airflow obstruction. There is emerging evidence showing inhaled furosemide, a common loop diuretic, may be useful in relieving dyspnea and improving pulmonary function values in patients with COPD. Objective: To assess if inhaled furosemide can lead to decreased perception of dyspnea and improved pulmonary function values in patients with COPD. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE was conducted and screening of the retrieved citations was made. This systematic review used three randomized control trials and a literature review in which the participants consisted of or included patients with COPD receiving inhaled furosemide as a potential treatment option for their dyspnea and low pulmonary function values. Results: Searches in the 4 databases and secondary sources using 3 key terms yielded 83 unduplicated articles. All studies measured dyspnea as an outcome and 3 found a statistically significant improvement in patient reported symptoms. Pulmonary function values were measured in three studies in which all found significant improvements. Conclusion: The effect of inhaled furosemide on the dyspnea and pulmonary function values in people with COPD remains promising but uncertain and questions have emerged regarding the long-term impact on these patients. While this therapy is favorable for dyspnea relief and improvement of pulmonary function values in people with COPD, further consideration and additional data still need to be gathered.
