[The effect of combined treatment in chronic congestive heart failure with digoxin, furosemide and pentoxifylline upon blood viscosity].

21 patients with symptoms of chronic congestive heart failure, NYHA classes II-IV, were treated with digoxin and furosemide for at least 14 days. In the next stage of the therapy they additionally received a 200 mg intravenous dosage of pentoxifylline and continued to take pentoxifylline orally for the period of at least 14 days. Before the therapy and after each of its stages echocardiography was performed, rheological and gasometric indices of the blood were determined and the level of physical efficiency was assayed in each patient according to NYHA classification. After the digoxin-furosemide treatment there was a significant increase in viscosity of the blood caused by its condensation. Simultaneously there could be observed a significant increase in physical efficiency in patients and also an improvement in some of indices of the left ventricular functions and in gasometric characteristics of the blood. Due to intravenous administration of pentoxifylline a decrease in blood viscosity occurred. The combined treatment with orally administered digoxin, furosemide and pentoxifylline caused a further decrease of blood viscosity, an improvement in some indices of left ventricular efficiency and gasometric characteristics of blood and also much better physical condition of the patients. The results of the present study show that in chronic congestive heart failure subjects a digoxin-furosemide treatment, besides undoubtedly advantageous haemodynamic effects, also leads to blood viscosity. The addition of pentoxifylline results the reduction of increased blood viscosity and in much better hemodynamic condition of the patients.