Use of levosimendan in myocardial dysfunction due to sepsis

Abstract

Introduction: Myocardial dysfunction observed within the context of sepsis is partially due to desensitization of the cardiac muscle to vasoactive agents. Levosimendan, a calcium sensitizer and a K+- ATP channel opener, plays a significant role in the treatment of myocardial depression although its use in sepsis has not yet been established. Methods: We studied 42 patients (66.1 +/- 7.54 years, 24 male) who met the criteria for sepsis (infection by Gram-negative bacteria and at least two SIRS criteria) and displayed severe heart dysfunction (cardiac index (CI) 2 (P = 0.012) and mean arterial pressure (P = 0.035) were significantly increased. Conclusions: Levosimendan compared with dobutamine improves the hemodynamic profile of septic patients with myocardial dysfunction; and while there is evidence that it reduces mortality, further studies are needed to verify this.