Heart, Lung and Circulation
Volume 17, Issue 3 , Pages 206-210 , June 2008

Repeated Infusions of Levosimendan: Well Tolerated and Improves Functional Capacity in Decompensated Heart Failure – A Single-Centre Experience

  • N.M. Parle, BN, PGradDip (Nurse Practitioner)

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +61 8 9224 3151; fax: +61 8 9224 1464.
    • ,
  • M.D. Thomas, MRCP (UK)

      Affiliations

    • Tel.: +61 8 9224 3151.
    • ,
  • L. Dembo, FRACP

      Affiliations

    • Tel.: +61 8 9224 3151.
    • ,
  • M. Best, FRACP

      Affiliations

    • Tel.: +61 8 9224 3151.
    • ,
  • G.O.’ Driscoll, PhD, FRACP

      Affiliations

    • Tel.: +61 8 9224 3151.
    • School of Medicine, University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, Australia.

Received 10 January 2007 ,Revised 28 August 2007 ,Accepted 29 October 2007.

References 

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  2. O’Connor CM, Gattis WA, Uretsky BF, Adams KF, McNulty SE, Grossman SH, et al. Continuous intravenous dobutamine is associated with an increased risk of death in patients with advanced heart failure: insights from the Flolan International Randomized Survival Trial (FIRST). Am Heart J. 1999;138:78–86
  3. Felker GM, Benza RL, Chandler AB, Leimberger JD, Cuffe MS, Califf RM, et al. Heart failure etiology and response to milrinone in decompensated heart failure: results from the OPTIME-CHF study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003;41:997–1003
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  6. Antila S, Sundberg S, Lehtonen LA. Clinical pharmacology of levosimendan. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2007;46:535–552
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  8. Follath F, Cleland JG, Just H, Papp JG, Scholz H, Peuhkurinen K, et al. Efficacy and safety of intravenous levosimendan compared with dobutamine in severe low-output heart failure (the LIDO study): a randomised double-blind trial. Lancet. 2002;360:196–202
  9. Moiseyev VS, Poder P, Andrejevs N, Ruda MY, Golikov AP, Lazebnik LB, et al. Safety and efficacy of a novel calcium sensitizer, levosimendan, in patients with left ventricular failure due to an acute myocardial infarction. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study (RUSSLAN). Eur Heart J. 2002;23:1422–1432
  10. Cleland JG, Freemantle N, Coletta AP, Clark AL. Clinical trials update from the American Heart Association: REPAIR-AMI, ASTAMI, JELIS, MEGA, REVIVE-II, SURVIVE, and PROACTIVE. Eur J Heart Fail. 2006;8:105–110
  11. Mebazaa A, Nieminen MS, Packer M, Cohen-Solal A, Kleber FX, Pocock SJ, et al. Levosimendan vs. dobutamine for patients with acute decompensated heart failure: the SURVIVE Randomized Trial. JAMA. 2007;297:1883–1891
  12. Nanas JN, Papazoglou P, Tsagalou EP, Ntalianis A, Tsolakis E, Terrovitis JV, et al. Efficacy and safety of intermittent, long-term, concomitant dobutamine and levosimendan infusions in severe heart failure refractory to dobutamine alone. Am J Cardiol. 2005;95:768–771
  13. Parissis JT, Adamopoulos S, Farmakis D, Filippatos G, Paraskevaidis I, Panou F, et al. Effects of serial levosimendan infusions on left ventricular performance and plasma biomarkers of myocardial injury and neurohormonal and immune activation in patients with advanced heart failure. Heart. 2006;92:1768–1772
  14. Anand IS, Fisher LD, Chiang YT, Latini R, Masson S, Maggioni AP, et al. Changes in brain natriuretic peptide and norepinephrine over time and mortality and morbidity in the Valsartan Heart Failure Trial (Val-HeFT). Circulation. 2003;107:1278–1283
  15. Kyrzopoulos S, Adamopoulos S, Parissis JT, Rassias J, Kostakis G, Iliodromitis E, et al. Levosimendan reduces plasma B-type natriuretic peptide and interleukin 6, and improves central hemodynamics in severe heart failure patients. Int J Cardiol. 2005;99:409–413
  16. Parissis JT, Panou F, Farmakis D, Adamopoulos S, Filippatos G, Paraskevaidis I, et al. Effects of levosimendan on markers of left ventricular diastolic function and neurohormonal activation in patients with advanced heart failure. Am J Cardiol. 2005;96:423–426
  17. McLean AS, Huang SJ, Nalos M, Ting I. Duration of the beneficial effects of levosimendan in decompensated heart failure as measured by echocardiographic indices and B-type natriuretic peptide. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2005;46:830–835
  18. Lilleberg J, Ylonen V, Lehtonen L, Toivonen L. The calcium sensitizer levosimendan and cardiac arrhythmias: an analysis of the safety database of heart failure treatment studies. Scand Cardiovasc J. 2004;38:80–84

PII: S1443-9506(07)01076-1

doi: 10.1016/j.hlc.2007.10.014

Heart, Lung and Circulation
Volume 17, Issue 3 , Pages 206-210 , June 2008

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