title: Treatment of acute heart failure in an infant after cardiac surgery using levosimendan.
abstract: An infant, 2 months old, underwent cardiac surgery because of congenital heart defects and pulmonary hypertension. Surgery was performed in hypothermia and cardiac standstill. On the second day after surgery the infant had to be resuscitated due to a combination of acute left-ventricular failure, pulmonary vascular hypertension and a slight right-to-left-shunt. A breakthrough in the treatment was achieved by using levosimendan to improve left-ventricular function and to decrease vascular resistance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology und Intensive Care, Charité University-Hospital, Humboldt University, Schumann Str. 20-21, Berlin D-10117, Germany. jan.braun@charite.de
authors.forename: Jan-Peter
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kastrup
authors.forename: Jianshi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D006835:Hydrazones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007223:Infant; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011724:Pyridazines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077464:Simendan
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D006835:Hydrazones; D011724:Pyridazines; D000077464:Simendan