Levosimendan use in the emergency management of decompensated peripartum cardiomyopathy

Levosimendan—calcium sensitizer—increases myocardial contractility without increasing oxygen requirements, and also induces peripheral and coronary vasodilation through the opening of ATP-sensitive potassium channels in vascular smooth muscle. Because levosimendan does not increase intracellular calcium levels, it is less likely than traditional inotropes to have deleterious effects on cardiac myocyte relaxation, cell survival, and arrhythmia induction.