Digoxin toxicity: Management
Dr Betty Chan, emergency physician and clinical toxicologist, discusses the DORA trial and digoxin toxicity - 1 or 2 amps of immune fab only, no maths required - and explains why less is more.
Dr Betty Chan, emergency physician and clinical toxicologist, discusses the DORA trial and digoxin toxicity - 1 or 2 amps of immune fab only, no maths required - and explains why less is more.
Digibind: trade name for digoxin antidote containing Digoxin-specific antibody Fab fragments; prudent to administer based on a considered risk assessment and before the life-threatening manifestations of digoxin toxicity develop
Digoxin toxicity is characterised by gastrointestinal distress, hyperkalemia and life-threatening dysryhthmias, including increased automaticity and AV nodal blockade
Used for both the acute or chronic overdose. Typically this is from the pharmaceutical agent digoxin. Other cardiac glycosides such as Oleander can be treated with digoxin immune fab.
the case. 87 year old female presents to your ED following an intentional overdose. She tells you that approximately 4 hours ago she ingested ‘most of [her] digoxin tablets’ that she bought earlier in the afternoon.