UAB Dec. 5
Clinical trials (REVIVE II - Randomized Multicenter Evaluation of I.V. Levosimedan Efficiency) show that patients receiving Levosimendan in addition to standard treatment had a greater likelihood of clinical improvement anda lower risk of clinical deterioration than those who only received standard therapy.
Levosimendan is a calcium sensitiser that can be administered intravenously (IV) to patients with acute decompensated congestive heart failure (CHF). At therapeutic dosages levosimendan enhances myocardial contractility without increasing oxygen requirements, and causes coronary and systemic vasodilation.
In clinical trials levosimendan has been shown to reduce the risk of worsening CHF or death compared with dobutamine and placebo in patients with decompensated CHF. The drug is well tolerated, does not appear to be proarrhythmic, has minimal potential for interactions with other drugs, and does not reduce short-or long-term (30-day) survival.
Thus, unlike some other agents administered to improve contractility in decompensated heart failure, IV levosimendan appears to offer therapeutic benefits without risk of arrhythmogenesis and/or uncertain impacts on survival.
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