The effect of digoxin on renal function in patients with heart failure

Consensus document on palliative care in cardiorenal patients

There is an unmet need to create consensus documents on the management of cardiorenal patients since, due to the aging of the population and the rise of both pathologies, these patients are becoming more prevalent in daily clinical practice. Chronic kidney disease coexists in up to 40%-50% of patients with chronic heart failure cases. There have yet to be consensus documents on how to approach palliative care in cardiorenal patients. There are guidelines for patients with heart failure and chronic kidney disease separately, but they do not specifically address patients with concomitant heart failure and kidney disease. For this reason, our document includes experts from different specialties, who will not only address the justification of palliative care in cardiorenal patients but also how to identify this patient profile, the shared planning of their care, as well as knowledge of their trajectory and the palliative patient management both in the drugs that will help us control symptoms and in advanced measures. Dialysis and its different types will also be addressed, as palliative measures and when the decision to continue or not perform them could be considered. Finally, the psychosocial approach and adapted pharmacotherapy will be discussed.

Potential Effects of Digoxin on Renal Functions in Patients With Congestive Heart Failure

INTRODUCTION

Renal dysfunction is a common complication among patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and can significantly impact their management, especially when medications like digoxin are involved. The clearance of digoxin is closely tied to the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which suggests that the safety and efficacy of digoxin may vary with renal function. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the potential effects of digoxin on renal function in patients diagnosed with CHF at a tertiary hospital in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A retrospective study examined the records of 30 CHF patients treated with digoxin. Renal function markers like estimated GFR (eGFR), creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), albumin, and urine levels were compared before and after digoxin treatment. Liver enzymes and other relevant parameters were also examined. A statistical analysis using t-tests was conducted to evaluate the changes in renal function indicators before and after digoxin treatment.

RESULTS

The mean eGFR decreased significantly from 65.4 ± 8.9 mL/min/1.73m2 before digoxin to 57.7 ± 7.8 mL/min/1.73m2 after (p = 0.001). Creatinine, BUN, albumin, and urine levels showed no significant changes. Digoxin significantly increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST) from 34.5 ± 11.6 U/L to 53.8 ± 14.6 U/L (p = 0.002), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) from 38.5 ± 12.6 U/L to 55.3 ± 17.6 U/L (p = 0.013), and creatine kinase from 117.7 ± 22.5 U/L to 133.9 ± 15.8 U/L (p = 0.012). Hemoglobin decreased significantly from 12.8 ± 1.4 g/dL to 12.1 ± 1.4 g/dL (p = 0.034). No significant changes occurred in myoglobin, troponin, bilirubin, platelets, potassium, calcium, or chloride levels. Effects on kidney function did not differ significantly by gender or age, except blood urea nitrogen was higher in patients over 50 years (8.3 ± 2.3 vs. 5.6 ± 2.7 mg/dL, p = 0.015).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests digoxin may adversely affect renal function in CHF patients, as evidenced by reduced eGFR. However, the small retrospective design limits definitive conclusions. Further prospective research with larger samples is warranted to elucidate digoxin's renal effects in CHF patients.

Evaluation of Biological Activity Exerted by Dibenzo[b,e]Thiophene-11(6H)-One on Left Ventricular Pressure Using an Isolated Rat Heart Model

BACKGROUND

Some studies show that some Dibenzo derivatives can produce changes in the cardiovascular system; however, its molecular mechanism is not very clear.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the inotropic activity of ten Dibenzo derivatives (compounds 1 to 10) on either perfusion pressure or left ventricular pressure.

METHODS

Biological activity produced by the Dibenzo derivatives on either perfusion pressure or coronary resistance was evaluated using an isolated rat heart. In addition, the molecular mechanism of biological activity produced by compound 4 (Dibenzo[b,e]thiophene-11(6H)-one) on left ventricular pressure was determined using both Bay-k8644 and nifedipine as pharmacological tools in an isolated rat heart model.

RESULTS

The results showed that Dibenzo[b,e]thiophene-11(6H)-one increases perfusion pressure and coronary resistance at a dose of 0.001 nM. Besides, other data display that Dibenzo[b,e]thiophene-11(6H)-one increases left ventricular pressure in a dose-dependent manner (0.001 to 100 nM) and this effect was similar to biological activity produced by Bay-k8644 drug on left ventricular pressure. However, the effect exerted by Dibenzo[b,e]thiophene-11(6H)-one was inhibited in the presence of nifedipine at a dose of 1 nM.

CONCLUSIONS

All these data suggest that Dibenzo[b,e]thiophene-11(6H)-one increase left ventricular pressure through calcium channel activation. In this way, Dibenzo[b,e]thiophene-11(6H)-one could be a good candidate as positive inotropic agent to heart failure.