Levosimendan accelerates recovery in patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of levosimendan in takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC).

The study was conducted in a retrospective design and 42 consecutive patients were enrolled in 6 cardiovascular centers in Turkey. The records of TC patients having left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) £ 35% were examined at admission, discharge and recovery period including their clinical and echocardiographic data.

Of these 42 TC patients, 17 were treated with loading dose and i.v. infusion of levosimendan (group 1) and 25 were treated without levosimendan (group 2). Echocardiographic findings at admission and at discharge were similar and no serious complications were observed in either group. However recovery period including the interval of 50% increase in LVEF, time to achieve the baseline troponin values and hospitalization were significantly lower in patients taking levosimendan.

This is the first study using loading dose and subsequent continuous intravenous administration of levosimendan demonstrating accelerated recovery in patients with TC.