Why the study?
Does pacemaker treatment or defibrillation improve survival in patients with massive digitalis poisoning failing conventional therapy?
Does pacemaker treatment or defibrillation improve survival in patients with massive digitalis poisoning failing conventional therapy?
Intensive cardiac care including pacemaker treatment and defibrillation can be life-saving in massive digitalis poisoning when conventional drug therapy fails.
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Pacemaker or defibrillation may aid survival in refractory massive digitalis poisoning; case reports leave open confirmation in prospective trials.
Four cases of massive digitalis poisoning are described. One of the patients died. Potentially fatal arrhythmias were seen in all four cases. Failing response to conventional drug therapy was observed. Pacemaker treatment was applied in three cases and defibrillation in the fourth. Three of the four cases were thus successfully treated. The value of handling these patients in a unit capable of providing intensive cardiac care is underlined. The role of hyperkalemia in digitalis poisoning, its prognostic significance and position in the therapeutic discussion is ventilated.
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Asplund et al. (1971) studied this question.
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