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Letter

Can a meta-analysis that mixes apples with oranges be used to demonstrate that levosimendan reduces mortality after coronary revascularization?

Massimo Meco1* and Silvia Cirri2

Author Affiliations

1 Istituto Clinico Sant'Ambrogio, Cardiac Surgery, Intensive Care and Anesthesia Departement, Via Faravelli, 16 20171 Milan, Italy

2 IRCCS San Donato Hospital, San Donato Milanese, Milan, Italy

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Critical Care 2011, 15:455 doi:10.1186/cc10484

Published: 28 November 2011

First paragraph (this article has no abstract)

We read with a great deal of interest the recently published meta-analysis of Maharaj and Metaxa [1] describing the effects of levosimendan on mortality after coronary revascularization. The authors concluded that levosimendan is able to reduce mortality in patients undergoing myocardial revascularization. Their conclusion, however, is unreliable and misleading for several reasons.