Efficacy and Safety of corticoSTEROids Added to Standard Therapy in Patients With Acute Heart Failure (STERO-AHF)

After enrollment and randomization, the intervention (experimental arm) will be the administration of corticosteroid therapy, added to standard therapy for acute heart failure. Corticosteroid therapy will be administered as a single-bolus intravenous injection of dexamethasone 20 mg (day 1, as soon as possible after randomization), followed by oral prednisone 1 mg/kg daily (maximum 60 mg daily) from day 2 to day 7 after randomization, administered at about 8.00 AM.

After enrollment and randomization, the intervention (experimental arm) will be the administration of corticosteroid therapy, added to standard therapy for acute heart failure. Corticosteroid therapy will be administered as a single-bolus intravenous injection of dexamethasone 20 mg (day 1, as soon as possible after randomization), followed by oral prednisone 1 mg/kg daily (maximum 60 mg daily) from day 2 to day 7 after randomization, administered at about 8.00 AM.