@article{3093624,
    title = "Efficacy and safety of intermittent, long-term, concomitant dobutamine
and levosimendan infusions in severe heart failure refractory to
dobutamine alone",
    author = "Nanas, JN and Papazoglou, P and Tsagalou, EP and Ntalianis, A and and Tsolakis, E and Terrovitis, JV and Kanakakis, J and Nanas, SN and and Alexopoulos, GP and Anastasiou-Nana, MI",
    journal = "AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY",
    year = "2005",
    volume = "95",
    number = "6",
    pages = "768-771",
    publisher = "Excerpta Medica Inc.",
    issn = "0002-9149",
    doi = "10.1016/j.amjcard.2004.11.033",
    abstract = "Thirty-six consecutive patients in New York Heart Association functional
class IV, who were resistant to 24-hour continuous dobutamine infusion,
were treated with continuous infusions of dobutamine 10 mu g/kg/min for
>= 48 hours (group I, In = 18), followed by weekly intermittent 8-hour
infusions or more often if needed. In group II (n = 18), after the
initial 24-hour infusion of dobutamine, a 24-hour levosimendan infusion
was added followed by biweekly 24-hour infusions. The addition of
intermittent levosimendan infusions prolonged the survival of patients
with advanced heart failure refractory to intermittent dobutamine
infusions (45-day survival rates were 6% and 61% in groups I and II,
respectively; p = 0.0002, log-rank test). (c) 2005 by Excerpta Medica
Inc."
}