ACTION OF DIGITALIS IN UNCOMPENSATED HEART DISEASE

Abstract

It has been demonstrated as a fact that digitalis decreases the cardiac output (Stewart and Cohn¹ and Burwell, Neighbors and Regen²) and the cardiac size in normal human beings (Stewart and Cohn¹). It was found (Stewart and Cohn¹) that the cardiac output was diminished and the heart dilated in the presence of congestive heart failure and that the administration of digitalis in these instances increased the cardiac output and decreased the cardiac size. We (Stewart, Crane, Deitrick and Thompson³) have recently published data relating to patients suffering from organic heart disease, without congestive heart failure, with normal rhythm. In certain of these cases the behavior of the heart was normal; in others the behavior was like that of a failing heart. In addition, we³ have shown in these later observations that digitalis increased the work of the heart per beat. Moreover, the action of the drug was the