Delayed elimination of digoxin antidotum determined by radioimmunoassay.
An observation of a treatment with digitalis antibodies (Fab-fragments) in a young child is presented. The elimination of this antidotum proved to be much slower than normally expected. In the patient's history, the disappearance of the Fab-fragments out of the blood lasted 142 days with a half-life of 15.6 days, whereas an elimination with a T1/2 of 28 hours is accepted. Probably there has been intracellular penetration of the antibodies into the liver, caused by concomitant diseases (Hepatitis A and B infections). An "in vitro" experiment is reported. It demonstrates the equimolar binding of the Fab-fragments for digoxin and shows that the elimination of the Fab-fragments can be established by a routine radioimmunoassay of digoxin, in an indirect way.
Nollet
H
H
Department of Nuclear Medicine, St. Jozef Kliniek, Oostende, Belgium.
Verhaaren
H
H
Stroobandt
R
R
Belpaire
F
F
D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004077:Digoxin / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007128:Immunoglobulin Fragments / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
D000906:Antibodies; D007128:Immunoglobulin Fragments; D004077:Digoxin