[Digitalis therapy in chronic heart failure. Digitoxin in patients in sinus rhythm pretreated with diuretics].

Eight patients in sinus rhythm with chronic heart failure were studied. After individually adjusted six-week treatment with diuretics (hydrochlorothiazide-triamtere and/or frusemide) all patients were clearly improved symptomatically. Subsequently they additionally received digitoxin for six weeks, 0.07-0.1 mg daily. Before and at the end of the digitoxin period cardiac volume was determined radiologically, echocardiography was performed and haemodynamic parameters determined at rest and on exercise via indwelling catheters. During digitoxin administration there was a slight increase in cardiac output from 4.63 +/- 0.82 to 5.05 +/- 0.98 l/min (P less than 0.1) at rest and from 7.22 +/- 1.94 to 7.79 +/- 2.59 l/min at rest. The mean values of all other haemodynamic parameters remained unchanged. These results suggest that in patients with chronic heart failure and sinus rhythm any clinical or haemodynamic improvement achieved will not be significantly bettered by digitoxin.