SERUM DIGOXIN VALUES FOLLOWING A DOSAGE REGIMEN BASED ON BODY WEIGHT, SEX, AGE AND RENAL FUNCTION

Abstract

Abstract. Serum digoxin has been determined by a radio‐immunological method in 99 patients treated with digoxin. Digoxin was administered using a dosage regimen with a daily maintenance dose equivalent to (14 +creatinine clearance/5) per cent of loading dose. Three loading doses were used: 0.01 mg/kg b.wt., 0.015 mg/kg and 0.02 mg/kg, respectively. Creatinine clearance was calculated from a rapid bedside evaluation based on a nomogram. This nomogram requires a knowledge merely of the age of the patient as well as sex, b.wt. and serum creatinine. The serum digoxin mean values were 1.0 ± 0.3 ng/ml, 1.1 ± 0.5 ng/ml and 1.4 ± 0.6 ng/ml in the three groups of patients with maintenance doses corresponding to the three loading doses. The frequency of digoxin intoxication in the three groups was found to be 0, 4 and 8 %. The dosage regimen described seems to be a valuable aid to digoxin therapy.