title: Evaluation of the clinical, hemodynamic and neurohormonal response to levosimendan administration in decompensated heart failure patients. One-month follow-up.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Levosimendan is an inodilatory drug with hemodynamic effects in patients with decompensated chronic heart failure.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Short-term (one month) evaluation of clinical, hemodynamic and neurohormonal changes in patients with decompensated chronic heart failure undergoing levosimendan therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-six (21 male) consecutive patients were studied, corresponding to 32 levosimendan administrations (bolus + 24h infusion), aged 56.7+/-13.0 years, with decompensated chronic heart failure, in NYHA functional class III-IV (78.1% in class IV), and cardiac index (CI) <2.5 l/min/m2. Clinical (NYHA class), non-invasive hemodynamic (echocardiography) and neurohormonal (Elecsys ECLIA NT-ProBNP) evaluations were performed before levosimendan administration and on days 1, 4, 10 and 30.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1) Until day 10, there was a progressive decrease in NT-ProBNP values and weight (p<0.001), with an increase in CI (p<0.001); 2) NYHA functional class improved progressively, with 76% of the patients in NYHA class II at day 30; 3) NT-ProBNP values at day 1 correlated inversely (r=-0.414; p=0.024) with CI at day 4; and 4) the absolute decrease in NT-ProBNP values at day 4 (relative to baseline values) correlated with weight loss at day 4 (r=0.495, p=0.005), day 10 (r=0.424, p=0.031) and day 30 (r=0.486, p=0.030).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Levosimendan therapy in patients with decompensated chronic heart failure contributes to progressive NYHA class improvement. The variations seen in NYHA class and hemodynamics was reflected in changes in NT-ProBNP.
authors.affiliation: Clínica Universitária de Cardiologia, Hospital de Santa Maria e Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. luissargent@netcabo.pt
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sargento
authors.forename: Dulce
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.forename: J Sampaio
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Matias
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Madeira
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006835:Hydrazones / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood; D011724:Pyridazines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000077464:Simendan
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D006835:Hydrazones; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011724:Pyridazines; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D000077464:Simendan