[Clinical value of determination of digoxin concentration in blood during treatment of cardiac insufficiency].
The concentration of digoxin in blood was determined by the radio-immunologic method in 41 patients with circulatory insufficiency and permanent form of auricular fibrillation who were treated with the drug. In 85.5% of cases the therapeutic digoxin concentrations did not exceed 2 ng/ml. The therapeutic concentrations ranged from 0.3 to 3.6 ng/ml, the toxic from 0.9 to 6 ng/ml. A relationship was established between the dose of digoxin and its concentration in the blood of patients with normal renal filtration. It is concluded that the blood digoxin concentrations alone, without the clinical data being taken into account, cannot be a reliable criterion in assessment of the level of saturation with cardiac glycosides. Study of the dynamics of blood digoxin concentration in each patient allows its determination to be used to assess the tolerance to the drug, choose the adequate maintenance dose and the time for its correction, and to confirm the clinical signs of digitalis intoxication if the concentration of digoxin is above 2.5 ng/ml.
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001682:Biological Availability; D004077:Digoxin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D004077:Digoxin
Klinicheskoe znachenie opredeleniia kontsentratsii digoksina v krovi pri lechenii bol'nykh s serdechnoĭ nedostatochnost'iu.