The Response to Acetylstrophanthidin

Abstract

CARDIAC failure is frequently precipitated by a noncardiac illness. Although digitalis is used to restore and maintain compensation, the self-limiting nature of the precipitating event or its response to specific therapy may make it difficult or impossible to determine the effects of digitalis. To give a so-called digitalizing dose at one time does not answer this problem because almost always no immediate effects are seen.^{1 , 2} Dissipation of symptoms and signs of cardiac failure requires a variable time, measurable in days, weeks or even months. One rightly hesitates to increase the so-called digitalizing dose for fear of producing prolonged toxicity or . . .