Therapy of digoxin intoxication in dogs by specific hemoperfusion through agarose polyacrolein microsphere beads-antidigoxin antibodies.

The usefulness of a new biocompatible, specific immunosorbent, Agarose-Polyacrolein Microsphere Beads--Antidigoxin antibodies (APAMB-AD) for hemoperfusive removal of digoxin in digoxin intoxicated dogs is described. The sorbent contains antidigoxin antibodies covalently bound to polyacrolein microspheres, 0.2 micron in diameter. Thousands of microspheres are matrix-encapsulated in cross-linked agarose to form beads 500 to 800 micron in diameter. The sorbent removes digoxin specifically, leaving other components of the blood intact, in contrast to the nonspecific sorbents (charcoal and ion exchange resins) currently in use. Digoxin-intoxicated dogs looked ill, vomited, and their ECGs showed malignant arrhythmias which were reversed during the first hour of hemoperfusion. By 2 hours of hemoperfusion, the ECG tracings returned to the preintoxication state. Up to 27% of the total body digoxin burden was removed. The sorbent is biocompatible. Neither the formed elements nor a battery of the routinely assayed soluble components of the blood or complement (C'4) were altered significantly during the hemoperfusion trials. The dogs tolerated the hemoperfusion well and all survived the intoxication. Nonhemoperfused dogs or dogs whose blood was hemoperfused through beads lacking antidigoxin did not survive the digoxin intoxication.