Anesth Analg 2004;98:822-824
© 2004 International Anesthesia Research Society
doi: 10.1213/01.ANE.0000099717.40471.83
OBSTETRIC ANESTHESIA
Successful Use of Levosimendan in a Patient with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy
Sidney Benlolo, MD,
Cécile Lefoll, MD,
Vahan Katchatouryan, MD,
Didier Payen, MD PhD, and
Alexandre Mebazaa, MD PhD
From the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Hôpital Lariboisière, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Institut Fédératif de Recherche 06, Paris, France
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Alexandre Mebazaa, MD, PhD, Département dAnesthésie-Réanimation-SMUR, Hôpital Lariboisière, 2 rue Ambroise-Paré, 75475 Paris Cedex 10, France. Address email to alexandre.mebazaa{at}lrb.ap-hop-paris.fr
This case represents the first reported use of levosimendan, a calcium-sensitizing drug with additional vasodilation properties, for treatment of a woman with peripartum cardiomyopathy. Levosimendan induced a steady decline of increased pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, followed by a definitive increase in cardiac stroke volume. The patient recovered from this serious episode of heart failure, and she ultimately regained left ventricular function.
IMPLICATIONS: Acute heart failure is a life-threatening event that only rarely occurs during childbirth. We report a case of a woman who experienced cardiovascular collapse during vaginal delivery. We determined that she met current diagnostic criteria for peripartum cardiomyopathy, and we successfully treated her with levosimendan, a calcium-sensitizing drug with additional vasodilation properties.
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L. De Luca, W. S. Colucci, M. S. Nieminen, B. M. Massie, and M. Gheorghiade
Evidence-based use of levosimendan in different clinical settings
Eur. Heart J.,
August 2, 2006;
27(16):
1908 - 1920.
[Abstract]
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