The Effect of Digoxin
Disease description:
Due to my chronic heart failure, my doctor prescribed me Cidilan (digoxin). Doctor, what are the effects of Cidilan?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Yang Ziqi
Digitoxin is a medication used to treat heart failure and certain arrhythmias. Its main actions include:
1. Enhancing myocardial contractility: Digitoxin increases the concentration of calcium ions within myocardial cells, thereby enhancing the heart's contractile function. This effect helps improve the heart's pumping ability and alleviate symptoms in patients with heart failure.
2. Slowing heart rate: Digitoxin slows the conduction velocity of cardiac impulses, particularly at the atrioventricular node. By reducing heart rate, it decreases the workload on the heart, improves cardiac function, and stabilizes arrhythmias.
3. Improving cardiac function: Through its positive inotropic and negative chronotropic effects, digitoxin effectively enhances cardiac function in patients with heart failure, relieving symptoms such as dyspnea and edema.
When using digitoxin, it is important to regularly monitor drug levels to avoid the risk of toxicity. If symptoms such as arrhythmias, nausea, or vomiting occur, prompt medical attention is necessary.
