CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Vol 24, No 7, August 2013
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AFRICA
the literature. We surmise this was because of their more risky
profiles despite the fact that their EuroSCOREs were similar
to those of the control group. Rates of mortality and morbidity
were found to be similar in both groups, possibly due to the small
number of patients in the study.
Conclusion
Our study shows that pre-operative use of levosimendan in
cardiac valve surgery patients with low ejection fractions
and/or pulmonary arterial hypertension resulted in improved
haemodynamic parameters, which may have provided better and
faster recovery after CPB. In larger studies with more patients,
the positive effects of levosimendan on clinical outcomes may be
seen more clearly.
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