Coronary Artery Disease — Prophylactic Administration of Levosimendan in Patients Undergoing Coronary Surgery
Citation(s)
De Hert SG, Lorsomradee S, Cromheecke S, Van der Linden PJ The effects of levosimendan in cardiac surgery patients with poor left ventricular function. Anesth Analg. 2007 Apr;104(4):766-73. Erratum in: Anesth Analg. 2007 Jun;104(6):1544. Dosage error in article text.
Kolseth SM, Nordhaug DO, Stenseth R, Sellevold O, Kirkeby-Garstad I, Wahba A Prophylactic treatment with levosimendan: a retrospective matched-control study of patients with reduced left ventricular function. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2009 Dec;36(6):1024-30. doi: 10.1016/j.ejcts.2009.05.001. Epub 2009 Jul 9.
Tasouli A, Papadopoulos K, Antoniou T, Kriaras I, Stavridis G, Degiannis D, Geroulanos S Efficacy and safety of perioperative infusion of levosimendan in patients with compromised cardiac function undergoing open-heart surgery: importance of early use. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2007 Oct;32(4):629-33. Epub 2007 Aug 15. Erratum in: Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2008 Mar;33(3):521.
Prophylactic Administration of Levosimendan in Patients With Impaired Left Ventricular Function Undergoing Coronary Surgery
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
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Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
