Table 3.

Changes in the cardiopulmonary exercise test parameters pre‐infusion and post‐infusion for the placebo and levosimendan treatments

Parameter	Placebo		P‐value	Levosimendan		P‐value	P‐value between treatmentsa
	Pre‐infusion	Post‐infusion		Pre‐infusion	Post‐infusion
VO2 anaerobic threshold (L/min)	0.47 ± 0.14	0.56 ± 0.15	0.06	0.52 ± 0.13	0.54 ± 0.1	ns	ns
Peak VO2 (L/min)	0.71 ± 0.16	0.75 ± 0.18	0.07	0.68 ± 0.13	0.76 ± 0.13	0.006	ns
Peak VO2 (mL/kg/min)	9.5 ± 1.7	10.0 ± 2.1	0.09	9.8 ± 1.7	11.0 ± 1.9	0.005	ns
Peak workload (W)	41 ± 19	42 ± 20	ns	41 ± 14	48 ± 13	0.002	0.03
Peak O2 pulse (mL/beat)	8.4 ± 2.4	8.6 ± 2.2	ns	7.3 ± 2.2	7.4 ± 2.1	ns	ns
Peak heart rate (beat/min)	88 ± 18	90 ± 22	ns	98 ± 26	106 ± 27	0.004	ns
Peak PetCO2 (mmHg)	26 ± 4	26 ± 3	ns	27 ± 6	29 ± 4	0.04	0.06
Peak PetO2 (mmHg)	121 ± 3	121 ± 3	ns	120 ± 6	120 ± 6	0.06	ns
Peak VE (L/min)	39.2 ± 8.2	43.8 ± 7.1	0.08	39.2 ± 9.6	39.7 ± 9.6	ns	ns
Peak respiratory quotient peak	1.09 ± 0.15	1.10 ± 0.14	ns	1.13 ± 0.08	1.12 ± 0.11	ns	ns
Peak VCO2 (L/min)	0.79 ± 0.23	0.85 ± 0.26	0.06	0.77 ± 0.16	0.86 ± 0.19	0.015	ns
VO2/workload slope (mL/min/W)	9.0 ± 1.5	9.3 ± 1.1	ns	8.8 ± 1.8	9.2 ± 1.6	ns	ns
VE/VCO2 slope	44.0 ± 11	43.4 ± 10.3	ns	41.9 ± 10	36.6 ± 6.4	0.001	0.03

Data are expressed as means ± standard deviation.

VO₂, oxygen consumption; Pet, end‐tidal pressure; VE, ventilation; VCO₂, CO₂ production.

^aAssessed by the infusion × treatment interaction.