[A clinical practice guideline for diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2000 considered that 274 million people died in the world because of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Global mortality by COPD depends on the stage of the disease and 30 to 48 % die during the next four to seven years after the diagnosis. The global burden of disease for the 2020 measurement through the years of potential life lost (YPLL) estimates that COPD is in the 10th place at world-wide level.

[Levosimendan in patients with acute cardiac failure].

Objective: To assess levosimendan efficacy in acute cardiac failure.

Methods: We included 25 patients with acute cardiac failure and partial conventional therapy response defined as persistence of low cardiac output with inotropic support. We started levosimendan at loading dose and continuous infusion for 24 hours, recording hemodynamic data, as well as clinical variables.