title: Levosimendan: The current situation and new prospects.
abstract: Levosimendan is a pyridazinone-dinitrile derivative with positive inotropic and vasodilatory effects that has beneficial effects on myocardial performance. In previous randomized studies levosimendan improved hemodynamics and clinical course, but its effect on prognosis is still unclear. This important issue has limited its use. Although primarily used in the management of acute heart failure syndromes, this new inotropic agent may play a role in other clinical conditions. This review aims to summarize current knowledge on levosimendan and to present future prospects for the use of this drug.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia e Cirurgia Cardiotorácica, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: numoreno@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Nuno
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia e Cirurgia Cardiotorácica, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tavares-Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia e Cirurgia Cardiotorácica, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: André P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia e Cirurgia Cardiotorácica, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oliveira-Pinto
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia e Cirurgia Cardiotorácica, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Tiago
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Henriques-Coelho
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia e Cirurgia Cardiotorácica, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Adelino F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Leite-Moreira
mesh_terms: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D006835:Hydrazones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011724:Pyridazines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077464:Simendan
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D006835:Hydrazones; D011724:Pyridazines; D000077464:Simendan
keywords: Heart failure; Inotropes; Inotrópicos; Insuficiência cardíaca; Levosimendan