Intracoronary Infusion of Levosimendan to Treat Postpericardiotomy Heart Failure

Management of acute cardiac failure by intracoronary administration of levosimendan

Acute cardiac failure caused by myocardial infarction or inadequate cardioprotection during heart surgery is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Levosimendan is a new drug used in heart failure though it is limited by the systemic hypotension, which develops with intravenous administration. Intracoronary (IC) administration however should affect systemic circulation less while maintaining the beneficial cardiac effects of the drug. We herewith report the results from the first such clinical series. Levosimendan was administered IC in 33 consecutive patients who developed cardiogenic shock during heart surgery and were unable to wean off cardiopulmonary bypass despite maximal support. Preadministration/postadministration coronary graft flows, hemodynamic parameters, left ventricular function, and metabolic requirements were measured and compared. Levosimendan significantly increased graft flows and improved hemodynamic parameters. Systolic blood pressure (93 ± 26.4 vs. 106 ± 18.2 mm Hg, P < 0.05) and cardiac index (2.0 ± 0.5 vs. 3.1 ± 0.2, P < 0.001) were increased, whereas systemic vascular resistance (1470.7 ± 114 vs. 1195.8 ± 112, P < 0.01) was reduced. Better myocardial perfusion improved metabolic requirements, with myocardial oxygen extraction and glucose uptake increasing by 72% and 74%, respectively, whereas lactate production was reduced by 64%. Echocardiography demonstrated additional ventricular segment recruitment. Therefore, IC Levosimendan administration in acute heart failure is safe and efficacious producing improved cardiac function without significant detrimental hypotension.

Intracoronary Levosimendan during Ischemia Prevents Myocardial Apoptosis

Background: Levosimendan is a calcium sensitizer that has been shown to prevent myocardial contractile depression in patients post cardiac surgery. This drug exhibits an anti-apoptotic property; however, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. In this report, we characterized the myocardial protective of levosimendan in preventing cardiomyocyte apoptosis and post-operative stunning in an experimental ischemia–reperfusion model. Methods: Three groups of pigs (n = 8 per group) were subjected to 40 min of global, cardioplegic ischemia followed by 240 min of reperfusion. Levosimendan (65 μg/kg body weight) was given to pigs by intravenous infusion (L-IV) before ischemia or intracoronary administration during ischemia (L-IC). The Control group did not receive any levosimendan. Echocardiography was used to monitor cardiac function in all groups. Apoptosis levels were assessed from the left ventricle using the terminal transferase mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and immunocytochemical detection of Caspase-3. Results: Pigs after ischemia–reperfusion had a much higher TUNEL%, suggesting that our treatment protocol was effective. Levels of apoptosis were significantly increased in Control pigs that did not receive any levosimendan (0.062 ± 0.044%) relative to those received levosimendan either before (0.02 ± 0.017%, p = 0.03) or during (0.02 ± 0.017%, p = 0.03) the ischemia phase. Longitudinal left ventricular contraction in pigs that received levosimendan before ischemia (0.75 ± 0.12 mm) was significantly higher than those received levosimendan during ischemia (0.53 ± 0.11 mm, p = 0.003) or Control pigs (0.54 ± 0.11 mm, p = 0.01). Conclusion: Our results suggested that pigs received levosimendan displayed a markedly improved cell survival post I–R. The effect on cardiac contractility was only significant in our perfusion heart model when levosimendan was delivered intravenously before ischemia.

Levosimendan - a calcium sensitising agent with potential anti-arrhythmic properties

Levosimendan is a 'Ca(2+)sensitiser', which exerts its inotropic effect by increasing the affinity of troponin C for Ca(2+), directly stabilising the Ca(2+)-induced conformation of troponin C. It leads to a positive inotropic effect without impairing diastolic relaxation and causing cytosolic Ca(2+) ion overload, which might result in cardiac myocyte dysfunction, arrhythmias and cell death. Levosimendan may also have significant anti-inflammatory properties. Data from various studies suggest that levosimendan might have anti-arrhythmic effects, although the outcome of clinical trials on the effect of this agent in (for example) atrial fibrillation (AF) remains controversial. Currently, on the basis of available data, it is especially worth emphasising the potential role of this drug in the termination of AF after cardiac surgery, which significantly influences early- and long-term morbidity and mortality. This review considers the putative anti-arrhythmic properties of levosimendan and discusses the potential clinical application of such a drug.