Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24364017›Full record

ReviewHeart, lung and vessels2013

Levosimendan: current data, clinical use and future development.

M S Nieminen, S Fruhwald, L M A Heunks, P K Suominen, A C Gordon, M Kivikko, P Pollesello

Open access · greenAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Heart, lung and vessels, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
64citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
8.9field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

64 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 139 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Trial
  7. 4,5-Dihydro-2Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. An overview of pyridazin-3(2Future medicinal chemistry · 2024
    Review
  12. Observational
  13. Cardiac Troponin ActivatorJournal of medicinal chemistry · 2024
    Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Review
  19. Diverse Pharmacological Potential of Pyridazine Analogs against Various Diseases.Medicinal chemistry (Shariqah (United Arab Emirates)) · 2024
    Review
  20. Article

4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

M S NieminenHeart and Lung Center, University of Helsinki Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
S FruhwaldMedizinische Universität, Graz, Austria.
L M A HeunksRadboud University Medical Center Nijmegen,Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
P K SuominenDepartment of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Children's Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
A C GordonImperial College /Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK.
M KivikkoOrion Pharma, Espoo, Finland.
P PolleselloOrion Pharma, Espoo, Finland.
Orion Corporation (Finland) · FIMedical University of Graz · AT

Funding

Department of Health NIHR/CS/009/007Medical Research Council MC_PC_13093
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Levosimendan is an inodilator indicated for the short-term treatment of acutely decompensated severe chronic heart failure, and in situations where conventional therapy is not considered adequate. The principal pharmacological effects of levosimendan are (a) increased cardiac contractility by calcium sensitisation of troponin C, (b) vasodilation, and (c) cardioprotection. These last two effects are related to the opening of sarcolemmal and mitochondrial potassium-ATP channels, respectively. Data from clinical trials indicate that levosimendan improves haemodynamics with no attendant significant increase in cardiac oxygen consumption and relieves symptoms of acute heart failure; these effects are not impaired or attenuated by the concomitant use of beta-blockers. Levosimendan also has favourable effects on neurohormone levels in heart failure patients. Levosimendan is generally well tolerated in acute heart failure patients: the most common adverse events encountered in this setting are hypotension, headache, atrial fibrillation, hypokalaemia and tachycardia. Levosimendan has also been studied in other therapeutic applications, particularly cardiac surgery - in which it has shown a range of beneficial haemodynamic and cardioprotective effects, and a favourable influence on clinical outcomes - and has been evaluated in repetitive dosing protocols in patients with advanced chronic heart failure. Levosimendan has shown preliminary positive effects in a range of conditions requiring inotropic support, including right ventricular failure, cardiogenic shock, septic shock, and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Indexed as

acute heart failurecardiac surgerycardioprotective inodilatorlevosimendanreviewshock

Identifiers

PMID24364017
PMCPMC3868185
OpenAlexW2136010626

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.