Current Concepts in Digitalis Therapy

Rising Incidence of Digitalis Intoxication With the introduction of the purified glycosides it was expected that the incidence of intoxication would diminish. The patient on such maintenance therapy is assured a constant dosage because the uncontrollable variation in the potency of digitalis-leaf preparations is removed. The converse, however, has been true. Many recent reports indicate a mounting frequency of digitalis poisoning.46, 69 70 71 72 73 74 Digitalis is becoming a significant factor in cardiac death. The explanations given are that the glycosides are more toxic than leaf and that the premonitory symptoms are infrequent or absent. Both these contentions are without clinical substance. The pattern . . .