Levosimendan in Patients with Left Ventricular Dysfunction Undergoing Cardiac Surgery
Rajendra H. Mehta, M.D., Jeffrey D. Leimberger, Ph.D., Sean van Diepen, M.D., James Meza, M.D., Alice Wang, M.D., Rachael Jankowich, R.N., M.S.N., Robert W. Harrison, M.D., Douglas Hay, Ph.D., Stephen Fremes, M.D., Andra Duncan, M.D., Edward G. Soltesz, M.D., John Luber, M.D., Soon Park, M.D., Michael Argenziano, M.D., Edward Murphy, M.D., Randy Marcel, M.D., Dimitri Kalavrouziotis, M.D., Dave Nagpal, M.D., John Bozinovski, M.D., Wolfgang Toller, M.D., Matthias Heringlake, M.D., Shaun G. Goodman, M.D., Jerrold H. Levy, M.D., Robert A. Harrington, M.D., Kevin J. Anstrom, Ph.D., and John H. Alexander, M.D., M.H.S., for the LEVO-CTS Investigators*
New England Journal of Medicine
March 19, 2017 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1616218
Conclusions:
Prophylactic levosimendan did not result in a rate of the short-term composite end point of death, renal-replacement therapy, perioperative myocardial infarction, or use of a mechanical cardiac assist device that was lower than the rate with placebo among patients with a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction who were undergoing cardiac surgery with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. (Funded by Tenax Therapeutics; LEVO-CTS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02025621.)