[Effect of hemodialysis on digoxin pharmacokinetics in heart failure in patients with chronic kidney failure]

The authors have estimated the effect of hemodialysis on the pharmacokinetics of digoxin instilled intravenously to patients with the terminal stage of chronic renal insufficiency. It has been shown that dialysis was associated with an almost double increase in the clearance constant of digoxin due to its additional elimination through the membrane of the dialyzer. Over five h of dialysis the body excretes 12.5% of the administered dose of digoxin which is only 3.8% more (by 19 micrograms) than the average amount eliminated without dialysis. The contribution of dialysis to the elimination of digoxin is insignificant and, therefore, the regimen of its administration on days when dialysis is performed should be left unchanged.