Continuous levosimendan infusion for refractory cardiogenic shock complicating severe acute dichlorvos poisoning

Respiratory failure is the leading cause of death after organophosphorus poisoning. Cardiac complications are rare, serious and little known to clinicians. The authors present a case of a 74-year-old man with refractory cardiogenic shock after taking 200 mL of 80% dichlorvos for a suicide attempt. This study represents the first reported cardiogenic shock resulting from organophosphorus poisoning in the literature, clarifying its hemodynamic features with invasive hemodynamic monitoring (PiCCO; Pulsion Medical Systems AG, Munich, Germany). Additional levosimendan infusion was commenced after insufficient conventional therapies, resulting in an increase in cardiac power index by 236% and a decrease in systemic vascular resistance by 69% after 24 hours of continuous infusion. Despite the immense hemodynamic improvement after levosimendan treatment, the patient died of multiple organ failure 6 days after admission. The authors also discussed the inotropic and vasodilatory effects of levosimendan in this clinical scenario.