Comparison of Ischemic Side Effects of Levosimendan and Dobutamine with Integrated Backscatter Analysis

Abstract

Background: Levosimendan improves cardiac contractility without increasing oxygen consumption. However, its effects on ischemia were not supported with the utilization of a noninvasive parameter of myocardial characterization. Hypothesis: The changes observed in integrated backscatter (IBS) may be reflective of change in myocardial ischemia. In this study, the effect of levosimendan on ischemia detected by IBS was evaluated in patients with ischemic heart failure (HF). Methods: Patients who had LVEF <40% and NYHA III-IV symptoms of HF were included in this study. Patients were randomized to levosimendan (n = 21), or to dobutamine (n = 25) groups. The cyclic variation of integrated backscatter (CVIBS) was determined as the difference between the maximal and minimal values in a cardiac cycle, average of three consecutive beats. CVIBS was taken from the mid-anteroseptal, mid-inferior, and mid-posterolateral areas of the parasternal short axis images before the drug administration and at the end of the 24-hour infusion period. Results: Baseline characteristics and concomitant medications were similar in both groups. A significant reduction in CVIBS was detected in anteroseptal (7.6 ± 1.4 dB versus 5.9 ± 0.8 dB, p = 0.01), inferior wall (7.4 ± 0.8 dB versus 6.7 ± 1.5 dB, p = 0.03), and posterolateral wall (9.0 ± 1.2 dB versus 8.2 ± 0.6 dB, p = 0.04) after dobutamine administration, while no significant changes were observed in the levosimendan group in all walls. Conclusions: Unlike dobutamine, levosimendan may not induce myocardial ischemia as shown by CVIBS at commonly used dosages in the setting of decompensated HF without active ischemia.

Effect of levosimendan on ventricular remodelling in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction: a meta‐analysis

“…The characteristics of all included studies are summarized in Table 1. The control group treatments varied, including placebo, 38,39,49,61,63,64,69,71,72,74,75,77,81,83,84,[87][88][89][90][91][92][93]96,97,104 dobutamine, 33,40,46,48,50,52,54,[56][57][58][59][60]62,65,68,73,76,80,82,85,86,95,[98][99][100][101][102]…”

“…In this study, a total of 4275 records were initially identified, and 66 RCTs 33,38–40,46–107 were included after stratification screening. A flow chart of the study selection process is shown in Figure .…”

“…The characteristics of all included studies are summarized in Table 1 . The control group treatments varied, including placebo, 38,39,49,61,63,64,69,71,72,74,75,77,81,83,84,87–93,96,97,104 dobutamine, 33,40,46,48,50,52,54,56–60,62,65,68,73,76,80,82,85,86,95,98–102,107 milrinone, 47,70 prostaglandin E1, 51 furosemide, 78 routine treatment 53,55,66,79,94,105,106 for heart failure, and Rh‐BNP 103 . The study had variations in the intervention time and dose of levosimendan, with bolus doses ranging from 3 to 24 μg/kg and continuous infusion doses ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 μg/kg/min.…”

“…39,40,49,51,[54][55][56][57][58][59][60]62,63,[65][66][67][68][70][71][72]74,76,78,79,82,85,86,[88][89][90][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103][105][106][107] were included, including 3212 patients.…”

Levosimendan Improves Clinical Outcomes of Refractory Heart Failure in Elderly Chinese Patients

“…Levosimendan can also induce changes in heart and blood vessels, which means levosimendan has beneficial effects on coronary circulation, pulmonary circulation, and peripheral circulation [ 19 ]. Moreover, levosimendan can be used with ACE-I and β receptor blockers, which are all essential drugs used for anti-CHF treatment [ 20 , 21 ].…”