Levosimendan has an energetically favorable short-term profile in the treatment of congestive heart failure. It enhances cardiac output without oxygen wasting, particularly by improving efficiency in the right ventricle.

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We found a similar time (about 0.4 h) to maximum serum concentration after extradural administration of bupivacaine 1.78 (SD 0.27) mg kg-1 to six pregnant patients at term, 1.58 (0.13) mg kg-1 to six women younger than 65 yr and 1.50 mg kg-1 to six women older than 65 yr. There were no significant differences in terminal half-life. No unconjugated 4'-hydroxy-bupivacaine was detected in the serum and urine of pregnant patients, in contrast with the other groups. The pregnant patients had significantly greater serum concentrations of the N-dealkylated metabolite, N-desbutyl-bupivacaine (DBB), than the non-pregnant groups. In contrast with 4'-hydroxy-bupivacaine, no conjugated forms of bupivacaine and desbutyl-bupivacaine were detected in urine. The mean total urinary excretion of bupivacaine and its metabolites and their conjugates varied between 2.46 and 3.22% of the total dose administered in the three patient groups, indicating that both 4'-hydroxylation and N-dealkylation are minor metabolic pathways in man.

Changes in cardiac and pulmonary hemodynamics are already present after the trauma and before the intramedullary nailing procedure.

In this study, the acute haemodynamic effects of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition with intravenous enalaprilat alone or in combination with preload restoration were determined in patients with severe heart failure complicating acute myocardial infarction. Ten patients with raised pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (PAWP > or = 18 mmHg) were first studied during constant conventional vasodilation with diuretic and inotropic medication, by monitoring central haemodynamics and arterial blood gases. The same variables were measured before enalaprilat infusion, after preload reduction with enalaprilat (1 mg.h-1, rate doubled every 30 min until PAWP decreased > or = 25% or up to total cumulative dose of 10 mg) and after preload restoration with fluid loading (4% albumin given 15 ml.min-1 to restore PAWP to baseline) during continuous low dose enalaprilat infusion. Enalaprilat alone (median dose 0.9 mg) reduced significantly the PAWP (from 25 to 17 mmHg; P = 0.004), the mean arterial pressure (from 87 to 83 mmHg; P = 0.008), the mean pulmonary arterial pressure and the right atrial pressure. The cardiac index, stroke volume index and systemic vascular resistance index remained unchanged. Preload restoration during continuous enalaprilat infusion (median dose of 4% albumin 230 ml, and enalaprilat 0.2 mg) did not further enhance left ventricular function; rather, there was a nearly significant decrease in myocardial perfusion pressure. Arterial oxygenation remained unchanged throughout the study. In conclusion, adding intravenous enalaprilat to conventional therapy makes it possible to relieve pulmonary congestion while maintaining the cardiac function and arterial oxygenation. Preload restoration during continuous ACE inhibition offers no further advantages, and may have adverse effects, since the myocardial perfusion pressure may fall.

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