Levosimendan for acute heart failure - horizon scanning review
NHSC
Record Status
This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.
Citation
NHSC. Levosimendan for acute heart failure - horizon scanning review. Birmingham: National Horizon Scanning Centre (NHSC). 2004
Authors' objectives
This study aims to summarise the currently available evidence on levosimendan for acute heart failure.
Authors' conclusions
Levosimendan (Simdax) is a short-term add on treatment for acutely decompensated heart failure that is in phase III clinical trials. Clinical trials published to date have found that patients given levosimendan experienced a positive haemodynamic benefit, and a lower risk of death and worsening heart failure than patients receiving placebo. Mortality was lower at 14 days (11.7% versus 19.6%; hazard ratio 0.56, 95% CI 0.33-0.95, p=0.031).
Department of Public Health&Epidemiology, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 121 414 7831; Fax: +44 121 414 2269; Email: c.packer@bham.ac.uk