Current role of digitalis therapy in patients with congestive heart failure
D. L. Kulick and S. H. Rahimtoola
Department of Medicine, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles 90033.
Digitalis has been used in the treatment of chronic congestive heart
failure for 215 years. In this article, numerous clinical studies and
trials that have evaluated the efficacy of digitalis in the treatment of
patients with congestive heart failure are reviewed. The data indicate that
digitalis is a valuable therapeutic agent for relieving symptoms and
improving exercise performance and left ventricular function in patients
with congestive heart failure. Comparison of the various advantages and
disadvantages of digitalis with alternative therapies in patients with
congestive heart failure shows an important continuing role for digitalis
therapy.
