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Digoxin serum levels in patients with Chagas' cardiomyopathy and heart failure

Samira Jorge Ferrari1, Reinaldo Bulgarelli Bestetti, Augusto Cardinalli-Neto

  • 1Department of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, Base Hospital, Faculty of Medicine of São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.

Revista Da Sociedade Brasileira De Medicina Tropical
|November 19, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Digoxin levels were frequently abnormal in patients with Chagas' cardiomyopathy and heart failure, indicating a need for routine monitoring to prevent toxicity.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Clinical Laboratory Science

Background:

  • Chagas' cardiomyopathy often leads to chronic heart failure.
  • Digoxin is a common treatment for heart failure, but its therapeutic range is narrow.
  • Limited data exists on digoxin serum concentrations in patients with Chagas' cardiomyopathy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine digoxin serum concentrations in patients with Chagas' cardiomyopathy and chronic heart failure.
  • To assess the prevalence of abnormal digoxin levels in this population.
  • To identify potential correlations between digoxin levels and other clinical parameters.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 101 patients with chronic heart failure due to Chagas' cardiomyopathy was studied.
  • Digoxin therapy was administered to 29 patients.
  • Serum digoxin levels were measured using an immune-enzymatic method.

Main Results:

  • 45% of patients had abnormal digoxin serum levels (median 1.27 ng/ml).
  • 55% of patients had digoxin levels above 1.0 ng/ml.
  • Digoxin levels showed moderate correlation with creatinine and negative correlation with sodium levels.

Conclusions:

  • Routine measurement of digoxin serum concentrations is recommended for patients with Chagas' cardiomyopathy and chronic heart failure.
  • Monitoring is crucial due to the high potential for digoxin toxicity in this patient group.
  • Abnormal digoxin levels were common, highlighting the need for therapeutic drug monitoring.
Abstract

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