Efficacy of Intermittently Intravenous Levosimendan Infusion on Decompensated Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis

Objective To discuss the efficacy of intermittently intravenous Levosimendan infusion on decompensated heart failure(DHF). Methods The databases of PubMed,Cochrane Library, Elsevier, Wiley, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang database and VIP database were retrieved by using computer for collecting the randomized controlled trials (RCT) until January in 2015 about the treatment of DHF with intermittently intravenous Levosimendan infusion. The long-term efficacy of intermittently intravenous Levosimendan infusion on heart function after DHF was studied through a meta-analysis on extracted data. Results A meta-analysis was conducted in the included 8 RCT, the comparison in all indexes and base values showed that left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) increased significantly (WMD=4.27%, 95%CI 2.51%~6.04%) in Levosimendan group, and had statistical difference(P<0.000 01). Short-term and mid-term mortality rate reduced significantly (RR=0.37, 95%CI 0.25~0.45) compared to control group. Level of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and New York heart association (NYHA) class function had no statistical significance compared with control group. Conclusions Intermittently intravenous Levosimendan infusion can ameliorate hemodynamic parameters and reduce short-term and mid-term mortality rate.