Levosimendan or milrinone for right ventricular inotropic treatment?-A secondary analysis of a randomized trial

• Background The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of milrinone and levosimendan on right ventricular (RV) inotropy and lusitropy in patients after aortic valve replacement (AVR) for aortic stenosis, a procedure in which an abnormal postoperative RV function may be seen. Methods In a prospective, blinded trial, 31 patients were randomized to receive either milrinone (0.4 and 0.8 µg/kg/min, n = 16) or levosimendan (0.1 and 0.2 µg/kg/min, n = 15) after AVR for aortic stenosis. RV performance, afterload (pulmonary arterial elastance), RV strain, systolic (SR‐S) and early diastolic (SR‐E) strain rate were measured by pulmonary artery thermodilution catheterization and transoesophageal two‐dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography. To circumvent the indirect effects of inodilator‐induced hemodynamic changes on RV systolic and diastolic deformation, pulmonary arterial elastance, central venous pressure and heart rate were maintained constant by atrial pacing, plasma volume expansion with colloids and phenylephrine‐induced vasoconstriction during treatment with the inotropes. Results A dose‐dependent increase in stroke volume index and cardiac index by approximately 20% were seen with both agents at the highest doses, with no difference between groups (P = .792 and 0.744, respectively). In both groups, RV strain and SR‐S dose‐dependently increased by 20% and 15%‐19%, respectively, at the highest doses (P = .742 and 0.259, respectively) with no difference between groups. SR‐E improved by both agents 20%‐24% at the highest dose with no difference between groups (P = .714). Conclusions The direct RV inotropic and lusitropic effects of levosimendan and milrinone were comparable at clinically relevant infusion rates.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Anestesi och intensivvård (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Anesthesiology and Intensive Care (hsv//eng)

Keyword

cardiac surgery

diastole

levosimendan

milrinone

right ventricular

function

strain echocardiography

systole

congestive-heart-failure

effective arterial elastance

systolic

function

cardiac-surgery

pulmonary-hypertension

contractile pattern

performance

dobutamine

strain

index

Anesthesiology

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)