Key result
Digoxin infusion caused arrhythmias in 75% of adult ewes compared to only 9.1% of fetuses, demonstrating age-related differences in drug response despite similar tissue-plasma ratios.
Population
8 nonpregnant ewes and 11 fetuses (109-129 days gestation)
Comparison
Digoxin infusion into the superior vena cava vs Baseline and between-group comparison
Design
Preclinical
Authors
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Fetal digoxin response appears blunted versus maternal at equal levels; leaves open optimal dosing for human fetal arrhythmias.
Absolute Event Rate: 9.1% vs 75%
Age-related differences in the inotropic and arrhythmogenic effects of digoxin exist between fetal and adult sheep, driven by differences in drug response rather than pharmacokinetics.
Berman et al. (1977) studied this question. Digoxin vs. Adult ewes vs fetuses was evaluated on Arrhythmias. Digoxin infusion caused arrhythmias in 75% of adult ewes compared to only 9.1% of fetuses, demonstrating age-related differences in drug response despite similar tissue-plasma ratios.
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