title: The role of digitalis in the treatment of heart failure.
abstract: Over the past 200 years, digoxin has been commonly used to treat patients with congestive heart failure. Clinical trials have demonstrated the benefits of the use of digoxin on exercise tolerance, ejection fraction, and neurohormone production. The Digoxin Investigators Group trial has recently provided strong evidence for the long-term benefits of digoxin on morbidity for patients with heart failure. This article will review the evidence of the benefits of digoxin and its current role in the treatment of patients with congestive heart failure.
authors.affiliation: McMaster University, Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation-General Division, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Demers
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: McKelvie
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yusuf
mesh_terms: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004070:Digitalis; D004077:Digoxin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000187:drug effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D004077:Digoxin