Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.) logoLink to British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.)
. 1982 Jun 19;284(6332):1819–1822. doi: 10.1136/bmj.284.6332.1819

Maintenance of the inotropic effect of digoxin on long-term treatment.

B E Griffiths, W J Penny, M J Lewis, A H Henderson
PMCID: PMC1498750  PMID: 6805712

Abstract

M-mode echocardiograms and systolic time intervals were recorded before and six weeks after stopping digoxin in 11 patients in sinus rhythm to see whether the inotropic effect of digoxin was maintained with long-term treatment. Significant changes indicating a reduction in inotropic state on stopping digoxin were observed in the group. Clinical deterioration occurred in only one patient, associated with evidence of initially impaired cardiac function rather than an atypical response to digoxin. This study provides evidence that chronic digoxin treatment does continue to exert a positive inotropic effect.

Full text

PDF
1819

Images in this article

1820FIG 1
on p.1820

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Arnold S. B., Byrd R. C., Meister W., Melmon K., Cheitlin M. D., Bristow J. D., Parmley W. W., Chatterjee K. Long-term digitalis therapy improves left ventricular function in heart failure. N Engl J Med. 1980 Dec 18;303(25):1443–1448. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198012183032503. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Crawford M. H., Karliner J. S., O'Rourke R. A., Amon K. W. Favorable effects of oral maintenance digoxin therapy on left ventricular performance in normal subjects: echocardiographic study. Am J Cardiol. 1976 Dec;38(7):843–847. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(76)90796-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. DRESDALE D. T., YUCEOGLU Y. Z., MICHTOM R. J., SCHULTZ M., LUNGER M. Effects of lanatoside C on cardiovascular hemodynamics; acute digitalizing doses in subjects with normal hearts and with heart disease without failure. Am J Cardiol. 1959 Jul;4(1):88–99. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(59)90197-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dall J. L. Maintenance digoxin in elderly patients. Br Med J. 1970 Jun 20;2(5711):705–706. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5711.705. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Davidson C., Gibson D. Clinical significance of positive inotropic action of digoxin in patients with left ventricular disease. Br Heart J. 1973 Sep;35(9):970–976. doi: 10.1136/hrt.35.9.970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dobbs S. M., Kenyon W. I., Dobbs R. J. Maintenance digoxin after an episode of heart failure: placebo-controlled trial in outpatients. Br Med J. 1977 Mar 19;1(6063):749–752. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.6063.749. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fonrose H. A., Ahlbaum N., Bugatch E., Cohen M., Genovese C., Kelly J. The efficacy of digitalis withdrawal in an institutional aged population. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1974 May;22(5):208–211. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1974.tb01940.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. HARVEY R. M., FERRER M. I., CATHCART R. T., ALEXANDER J. K. Some effects of digoxin on the heart and circulation in man; digoxin in enlarged hearts not in clinical congestive failure. Circulation. 1951 Sep;4(3):366–377. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.4.3.366. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hull S. M., Mackintosh A. Discontinuation of maintenance digoxin therapy in general practice. Lancet. 1977 Nov 19;2(8047):1054–1055. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(77)91886-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Johnston G. D., McDevitt D. G. Is maintenance digoxin necessary in patients with sinus rhythm? Lancet. 1979 Mar 17;1(8116):567–570. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(79)91002-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kleiman J. H., Ingels N. B., Daughters G., 2nd, Stinson E. B., Alderman E. L., Goldman R. H. Left ventricular dynamics during long-term digoxin treatment in patients with stable coronary artery disease. Am J Cardiol. 1978 May 1;41(5):937–942. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(78)90737-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Krakauer R., Petersen B. The effects of discontinuing maintenance digoxin therapy; a study of elderly cardiac patients in sinus rhythm. Dan Med Bull. 1979 Feb;26(1):10–13. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mason D. T., Braunwald E. STUDIES ON DIGITALIS. IX. EFFECTS OF OUABAIN ON THE NONFAILING HUMAN HEART. J Clin Invest. 1963 Jul;42(7):1105–1111. doi: 10.1172/JCI104796. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. McHaffie D., Purcell H., Mitchell-Heggs P., Guz A. The clinical value of digoxin in patients with heart failure and sinus rhythm. Q J Med. 1978 Oct;47(188):401–419. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. O'Rourke R. A., Henning H., Theroux P., Crawford M. H., Ross J., Jr Favorable effects of orally administered digoxin on left heart size and ventricular wall motion in patients with previous myocardial infarction. Am J Cardiol. 1976 Apr;37(5):708–715. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(76)90364-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Priddle W. W., Rose M. Curtailing therapy in a home for the aged, with special reference to digitalis, diuretics and low-sodium diet. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1966 Jul;14(7):731–734. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1966.tb02899.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. SELZER A., HULTGREN H. N., EBNOTHER C. L., BRADLEY H. W., STONE A. O. Efect of digoxin on the circulation in normal man. Br Heart J. 1959 Jul;21:335–342. doi: 10.1136/hrt.21.3.335. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Sonnenblick E. H., Williams J. F., Jr, Glick G., Mason D. T., Braunwald E. Studies on digitalis. XV. Effects of cardiac glycosides on myocardial force-velocity relations in the nonfailing human heart. Circulation. 1966 Sep;34(3):532–539. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.34.3.532. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Starr I., Luchi R. J. Blind study on the action of digitoxin on elderly women. Am Heart J. 1969 Dec;78(6):740–751. doi: 10.1016/0002-8703(69)90440-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Vogel R., Frischknecht J., Steele P. Short- and long-term effects of digitalis on resting and posthandgrip hemodynamics in patients with coronary artery disease. Am J Cardiol. 1977 Aug;40(2):171–176. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(77)90004-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Weissler A. M., Harris W. S., Schoenfeld C. D. Systolic time intervals in heart failure in man. Circulation. 1968 Feb;37(2):149–159. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.37.2.149. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Medical Journal (Clinical research ed.) are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES