Report of a suicidal digoxin intoxication: a case report.

Digoxin is a cardiotonic glycoside that is primarily used in the treatment of heart failure, atrial fibrillation or flutter, and paroxysmal atrial tachycardia. Intoxication due to digitalis excess is a common problem in clinical practice because it is therapeutically effective within a narrow dose range. However, massive intoxication with digitalis glycosides following a suicidal attempt is a rare event. In this report we describe an overdose fatality involving digoxin in a suicidal 82-year-old man, in whom measurement of serum digoxin concentration is available. A toxicological study of our patient, approximately two and a half hours after ingestion of the drug, revealed digoxin concentrations within 12.2-13.2 ng/ml in the blood, while the mean therapeutic serum concentration ranged from 0.5 to 2 ng/ml.