Levosimendan attenuates hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension in a porcine model.
BACKGROUND: Levosimendan was hypothesized to attenuate hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV). METHODS: 14 anaesthetized pigs (30,9±1,0kg) were studied in normoxia (FiO2∼0,21) and hypoxia (FiO2∼0,10), before and 10-90 min after infusion of placebo (n=7) or Levosimendan (n=7). RESULTS: Compared to normoxia, hypoxia-baseline at FiO2∼0,10 (n=14) increased PVR by 1.9±0.4 WU (p<0,001), MPAP by 14.3±0
