ArticleBMJ open2022
Effect of perioperative levosimendan administration on postoperative N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide concentration in patients with increased cardiovascular risk factors undergoing non-cardiac surgery: protocol for the double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled IMPROVE trial.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04329624 (The Effect of Perioperative LevosIMendan Administration on Postoperative N-terminal pRo Brain Natriuretic Peptide Concentration in Patients With Increased cardiOVascular Risk Factors Undergoing Noncardiac surgEry - A Double-blinded Randomized Clinical Trial), which is not on this map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
The Effect of Perioperative LevosIMendan Administration on Postoperative N-terminal pRo Brain Natriuretic Peptide Concentration in Patients With Increased cardiOVascular Risk Factors Undergoing Noncardiac surgEry - A Double-blinded Randomized Clinical Trial
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Levosimendan for postoperative subclinical heart failure after noncardiac surgery: a randomized, double-blinded, phase III trial.Nature communications · 2025Trial
- Weaning from invasive ventilation with levosimendan (WEANLESS): study protocol for a multicentre randomised clinical trial.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Guideline for Perioperative Cardiovascular Evaluation of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology - 2024.Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionElevated N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) after non-cardiac surgery is a strong predictor for cardiovascular complications and reflects increased myocardial strain. NT-pro-BNP concentrations significantly rise after non-cardiac surgery within the first 3 days. Levosimendan is a potent inotropic drug that increases calcium sensitivity to cardiac myocytes, which results in improved cardiac contractility that last for approximately 7 days. Thus, we will test the effect of a pre-emptive perioperative administration of levosimendan on postoperative NT-pro-BNP concentration as compared with the administration of a placebo in patients undergoing moderate-risk to high-risk major abdominal surgery. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will conduct a double-blinded prospective randomised trial at the Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria (and potentially a second centre in Germany), including 230 patients at-risk for cardiovascular complications undergoing moderate- to high-risk major abdominal surgery. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive a single dose of 12.5 mg levosimendan versus placebo after induction of anaesthesia. The primary outcome will be the postoperative maximum NT-pro-BNP concentration between both group within the first three postoperative days. Our secondary outcomes will be the incidence of myocardial ischaemia, myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery and a composite of myocardial infarction and death within 30 days and 1 year after surgery between both groups. Our further secondary outcome will be stratification of NT-pro-BNP values according to previously thresholds to predict mortality of myocardial infarction after surgery. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Vienna on 14 July 2020 (EK 2187/2019). Written informed consent will be obtained from all patients a day before surgery. Results of this study will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04329624.
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