Levosimendan

Prior research found that levosimendan improved calcium sensitivity in human diaphragm fibres. In critically ill ventilated patients, levosimendan increased ventilation measures, reduced arterial carbon dioxide, and caused no serious adverse events in a prior study. Levosimendan improves calcium sensitivity of force generation in cardiac muscle by modulating the troponin complex. The WEANLESS hypothesis is that levosimendan will shorten weaning by restoring diaphragm contractility. Levosimendan is a calcium sensitiser and vasodilator approved for acute heart failure treatment.