[Dangers of rapid digitalization].

On the patients with moderate and severe heart insufficiency haemodynamic, clinical and electrocardiographic examinations were carried out. After the application of digitoxin at the beginning in the majority of cases no favourable effects on clinical and haemodynamic findings could be proved. In 2 patients with cor pulmonale even a drastic deterioration with increase of the pulmonary pressure and formation of a pulmonary oedema developed. The temporary analysis of the systole and the estimation of the glycoside level did not give any reliable references. The recompensation began only after 2-3 days. In 5 out of 10 patients in whom the cardiac rhythm was continuously controlled by means of a tape storage device, after the application of digoxin ventricular extrasystoles appeared. Also in these cases increased as well as subtherapeutic digoxin-plasma levels were present. In 2 patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy the infundibular gradients were considerably increased by strophantin. The causes of the different reaction patters are to be sought in disease-specific peculiarities, in the degree of severity of the heart insufficiency, in the speed of the flooding of glycoside and several extracardiac factors.