[Digitalis effects on the electrocardiogramm: ergometric studies in healthy subjects and patients with coronary artery disease (author's transl)].

Therapeutically effective doses of beta-acetyldigoxin in healthy subjects produced no or only minor S-T depression both at rest and under maximal cycle-ergometry, in individual instances the S-T segment never being depressed by more than 0.1 mV. On the other hand, similar exercise in patients with latent coronary insufficiency produced marked, significantly and dose-dependent S-T segment depressions under increasing digitalisation within the therapeutic range, and in some of the patients there was also decreased exercise tolerance before anginal symptoms. It is concluded that the so-called digitalis effect is definitely of diagnostic significance in the recognition of latent coronary insufficiency, contrary to previously held belief.