[Is hemoperfusion effective in the treatment of digoxin intoxication? (author's transl)].

Digitalis therapy is frequently accompanied by adverse drug reactions. Severe digitalis intoxications are still a problem. Therapeutical methods, which could be used in the case of a life threatening digoxin intoxication, are known, but not yet generally available. Hemodialysis has only a minor effect on digoxin excretion. This study was planned to test the hypothesis that hemoperfusion across dextran-cocoated charcoal or the resin Amberlite XAD 4 could be more effective in the therapy of digoxin intoxications. The ability of hemoperfusion to eliminate digoxin was tested in a patient who had to undergo treatment beacuse of a severe bromcarbamide intoxication. Additionally we compared the effect of several modifications on this method in 12 dogs, which had received 0.05 mg/kg body weight per day for three days prior to the experiment. Although hemoperfusion across Amberlite XAD 4 may eliminate as much digoxin as normal human kidneys during the few hours of treatment, the amount of digoxin removed after all is only a small percentage of the total body pool. Thus compared to the risks of hemoperfusion as an invasive treatment its effect is small. According to our results, hemoperfusion cannot be recommended as a standard therapy of severe digoxin intoxications.