Serum digoxin levels and mortality in 5,100 patients

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

• Digoxin is a widely prescribed cardiac glycoside.
• The relationship between serum digoxin levels and mortality requires further clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between serum digoxin levels and mortality rates in a large patient cohort.
• To assess the clinical significance of elevated digoxin levels, even in asymptomatic patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 5,100 patients treated with digoxin.
• Four-week follow-up period post-serum digoxin level measurement.

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was observed between increasing serum digoxin levels and mortality.
• Mortality reached 50% at serum digoxin levels of 6.0 ng/mL and higher.
• Nearly 10% of patients had digoxin levels above the therapeutic range, with only 0.25% exhibiting clinical toxicity.

Conclusions:

• Increasing serum digoxin levels are associated with increased mortality.
• Serum digoxin level monitoring is recommended to identify asymptomatic patients with elevated levels.
• Physicians should carefully evaluate the necessity of initiating or continuing digoxin therapy, especially in patients with levels exceeding 1.0 ng/mL.