Ebstein Anomaly Successfully Treated With Levosimendan Postoperatively in a 60-Year-Old Female: A Case Report

TL;DR

A 62-year-old woman with Ebstein anomaly and multiple health conditions successfully received tricuspid valve repair and benefited from the drug levosimendan, leading to a shorter ICU stay.

Contribution

This case report highlights the successful postoperative use of levosimendan in an elderly patient with Ebstein anomaly.

Findings

Levosimendan was successfully used postoperatively to improve outcomes in an elderly patient with Ebstein anomaly.

The patient experienced a reduced intensive care unit stay following tricuspid valve repair and atrial septal defect repair.

Elderly patients with Ebstein anomaly can have a good prognosis when treated with appropriate interventions and medications.

Abstract

Ebstein anomaly is a congenital heart disease that is considered rare and mostly found in pediatrics population. Symptoms in adults vary depending on the degree of the valve displacement and include difficulty breathing, palpitations, stroke, or even fatigue. However, if it occurs in the elderly, they end up with a good prognosis. A novel calcium sensitizer “levosimendan” has been used perioperatively in heart valve replacement to improve the long-term prognosis of patients. The use of the drug has been shown to reduce postoperative mortality in patients with reduction in ejection fraction. We present the case of a 62-year-old female, a known case of hypothyroidism, bronchial asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and recent diagnosis of Ebstein anomaly, who underwent tricuspid valve repair and atrial septal defect repair on being symptomatic, in addition to the successful use of a novel positive inotropic drug with decrease in the intensive care unit stay.

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