Why the study?
Does levosimendan improve outcomes in patients with acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock, and septic shock?
Does levosimendan improve outcomes in patients with acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock, and septic shock?
While levosimendan improves hemodynamics in acute heart failure and shock states, current evidence does not consistently show a mortality benefit.
Supports hemodynamic stabilization in acute HF/shock without excess O2 demand; leaves open consistent mortality benefit in RCTs.
Levosimendan is a drug which increases the sensitivity of the heart to calcium and which opens potassium channels, resulting in inodilation. Clinical trial data from patients suffering from heart failure have demonstrated that it improves haemodynamics without increasing intra-cellular calcium or oxygen consumption. However, there is no consistent evidence of mortality reduction. This narrative review summarises the key trials of its use in acute heart failure, acute coronary syndrome, cardiogenic shock and septic shock.
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Mathieu et al. (2011) studied this question.
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