Early administration of levosimendan is associated with improved kidney function after cardiac surgery – a retrospective analysis

Balzer et al. (2014) conducted an observational in Severely reduced left ventricular systolic function and/or low cardiac output syndrome in cardiac surgery (n=46). Early administration of levosimendan (immediately after anaesthesia induction) vs. Late administration of levosimendan (after postoperative ICU admission) was evaluated on Incidence of postoperative renal dysfunction (OR 0.043, 95% CI 0.002-0.940, p=0.046). Early administration of levosimendan immediately after anaesthesia induction significantly reduced the incidence of postoperative renal dysfunction compared to later administration in the ICU (67.9% vs. 94.4%; OR 0.043).