A patient’s dry weight is their normal weight when they are not fluid overloaded – that is, what they should weigh without all the excess sodium and water in their body.

The achievement of this dry weight or fluid balance (also called euvolemia, "u-vo-lee-me-ah") is a very important goal for both short and long term care of patients suffering from fluid overload.

In fact, in the current joint guideline for the diagnosis and management of chronic heart failure in the adult, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association recommends the following:

“In general, patients should not be discharged from the hospital until a stable and effective diuretic regimen is established, and ideally, not until euvolemia (dry weight) is achieved.

Patients who are sent home before these goals are reached are at high risk of recurrence of fluid retention and early readmission, because unresolved edema may itself attenuate the response to diuretics..”

In other words, the treatment goal should be to get to your dry weight and keep you at your dry weight.

Do you know what your dry weight is? Are your treatments getting you there and keeping you there? Visit the "Your Weight" page for helpful information and a weight calendar to help you monitor and track how well you are doing toward this very important goal.

Learn about all available treatment options and talk to your doctor about which are best for you. To understand more about your treatment options, go to "Your Treatment Options".