1.
Effect of Levosimendan on Ventricular Systolic and Diastolic Functions in Heart Failure Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Long, YX, Cui, DY, Kuang, X, Hu, S, Hu, Y, Liu, ZZ
Journal of cardiovascular pharmacology. 2021;(6):805-813
Abstract
Levosimendan, a calcium sensitizer, exerts inotropic action through improving left ventricular ejection fraction. We noticed that only few clinical studies are published in which the effects of levosimendan on cardiac function are studied by echocardiography. When screening the literature (PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL, from inception to August 2020), we found 29 randomized controlled trials on levosimendan containing echocardiographic data. We included those studies, describing a total of 574 heart failure patients, in our meta-analysis and extracted 14 ultrasonic parameters, pooling the effect estimates using a random-effect model. Our analysis of the diastolic parameters of the left ventricle shows that levosimendan reduce the early/late transmitral diastolic peak flow velocity ratio [standardized mean difference (SMD) -0.45 to 95% confidence interval (CI) (-0.87 to -0.03), P = 0.037] and E/e' (e': mitral annulus peak early diastolic wave velocity using tissue-doppler imaging) [SMD -0.59, 95% CI (-0.8 to -0.39), P < 0.001]. As it regards the systolic parameters of the right ventricle, levosimendan increased tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion [SMD 0.62, 95% CI (0.28 to 0.95), P < 0.001] and tricuspid annular peak systolic velocity [SMD 0.75, 95% CI (0.35 to 1.16), P < 0.001], and reduced systolic pulmonary artery pressure [SMD -1.02, 95% CI (-1.32, -0.73), P < 0.001]. As it regards the diastolic parameters of the right ventricle, levosimendan was associated with the decrease of Aa (peak late diastolic tricuspid annular velocity using tissue-doppler imaging) [SMD -0.38, 95% CI (-0.76 to 0), P = 0.047] and increase of Ea (peak early diastolic tricuspid annular velocity using tissue-doppler imaging) [SMD 1.03, 95% CI (0.63 to 1.42), P < 0.001] and Ea/Aa [SMD 0.86, 95% CI (0.18 to 1.54), P = 0.013]. We show that levosimendan is associated with an amelioration in the diastolic and systolic functions of both ventricles in heart failure patients.
2.
Phosphocreatine in Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Mingxing, F, Landoni, G, Zangrillo, A, Monaco, F, Lomivorotov, VV, Hui, C, Novikov, M, Nepomniashchikh, V, Fominskiy, E
Journal of cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia. 2018;(2):762-770
Abstract
OBJECTIVE There is experimental evidence that phosphocreatine (PCr) can decrease ischemia/reperfusion injury of the heart. The authors investigated if PCr would improve heart performance as compared with standard treatment in cardiac surgery. DESIGN Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. SETTING Hospitals. PARTICIPANTS Adult and pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery. INTERVENTIONS The ability of PCr to improve cardiac outcomes as compared with standard treatment was investigated. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WANGFANG DATA, and VIP Paper Check System were searched to March 1 2017. The authors included 26 randomized controlled trials comprising 1,948 patients. Random and fixed-effects models were used to estimate odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). PCr use was associated with reduced rates of intraoperative inotropic support (27% v 44%; OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.35-0.61; p < 0.001), major arrhythmias (16% v 28%; OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.27-0.69; p < 0.001), as well as increased spontaneous recovery of the cardiac rhythm immediately after aortic declamping (50% v 34%; OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.82-3.30; p < 0.001) as compared with standard treatment. The use of PCr decreased myocardial damage and augmented left ventricular ejection fraction in the postoperative period; however, MD for these outcomes were small and do not seem to be clinically significant. CONCLUSIONS In randomized trials, PCr administration was associated with reduced rates of intraoperative inotropic support and major arrhythmias, and increased spontaneous recovery of the cardiac rhythm after aortic declamping. Large multicenter evidence is needed to validate these findings.
3.
Levosimendan in patients with left ventricular dysfunction undergoing cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of randomized trials.
Xing, Z, Tang, L, Chen, P, Huang, J, Peng, X, Hu, X
Scientific reports. 2018;(1):7775
Abstract
Patients with left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) undergoing cardiac surgery have a high mortality rate. Levosimendan, a calcium sensitizer, improves myocardial contractility without increasing myocardial oxygen demand. It is not clear whether levosimendan can reduce mortality in cardiac surgery patients with LVD. The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central databases were searched to identify randomized trials comparing levosimendan with conventional treatment in cardiac surgery patients with LVD. We derived pooled risk ratios (RRs) with random effects models. The primary endpoint was perioperative mortality. Secondary endpoints were renal replacement treatment, atrial fibrillation, myocardial infarction, ventricular arrhythmia, and hypotension. Fifteen studies enrolling 2606 patients were included. Levosimendan reduced the incidence of perioperative mortality (RR: 0.64, 95%CI: 0.45-0.91) and renal replacement treatment (RR:0.71, 95%CI:0.52-0.95). However, sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis (TSA) indicated that more evidence was needed. Furthermore, levosimendan did not reduce the incidence of atrial fibrillation (RR:0.82, 95%CI:0.64-1.07), myocardial infarction (RR:0.56, 95%CI:0.26-1.23), or ventricular arrhythmia (RR:0.74, 95%CI:0.49-1.11), but it increased the incidence of hypotension (RR:1.11,95%CI:1.00-1.23). There was not enough high-quality evidence to either support or contraindicate the use of levosimendan in cardiac surgery patients with LVD.