[Hemoperfusion therapy in severe suicidal digoxin poisoning].

Severe digoxin intoxications have a mortality rate of about 20%. Clinical course of intoxication, electrocardiographic changes as well as the behaviour of the plasma-digoxin concentration could closely be controlled on 4 patients after suicidal ingestion of potentially lethal dilanacin -new doses. In 3 patients a haemoperfusion treatment lasting 4 to 6 hours was performed. Clinical symptoms and existing disturbances of cardiac rhythm were clearly positively influenced under perfusion. The earlier the treatment was begun the more favourably appear the effects on the course of intoxication. After an at first benign picture of intoxication in the non-perfused female patient a comparatively distinct prolonged clinical and electrocardiographic symptomatology developed. Though the digoxin extraction established by computation fairly slightly imposes, this eliminated free digoxin fraction seems, nevertheless, to possess a considerable pharmacological and clinical importance. The adsorber material used showed well reproducible high clearance performances. During the haemoperfusion treatment in no case clinical complications were observed.