Use of levosimendan in patients with heart failure in different settings: case reports and treatment guidance

摘要

IntroductionThe inodilator levosimendan was developed as a treatment for acutely decompensated severe chronic heart failure. In recent years, its use has broadened to treatment of heart failure in different settings. These include advanced chronic heart failure, and other scenarios where haemodynamic stability is sought, such as pre-operative treatment of patients at risk of low cardiac output syndrome or peri-operative heart failure. The aims of this presentation of four case reports were to compare the use of levosimendan in different settings, and to highlight differences and similarities in the effects obtained, with the purpose of defining common guidance on the use of levosimendan.