What is the important pharmacological activity of digitalis?
Digitalis slows the heart through vagal and direct myocardial effects, thus the salutory effect in arrhythmias.
How do you administer digitalis?
Administration of digoxin injection: Each dose should be given by intravenous infusion over of 10 – 20 minutes. The total loading dose should be administered in divided doses with approximately half of the total dose given as the first dose and further fractions of the total dose given at intervals of 4 – 8 hours.
What does digitalis do to the heart?
Digitalis produces an increase of blood flow, a decrease of vascular resistance, venodilation, and a decrease of central venous pressure and heart rate (Figure 1). The vasodilation is the result of an increase in cardiac output and direct baroreflex-mediated withdrawal of sympathetic vasoconstriction.
How digitalis is useful in CHF?
Digoxin, also called digitalis, helps an injured or weakened heart pump more efficiently. It strengthens the force of the heart muscle’s contractions, helps restore a normal, steady heart rhythm, and improves blood circulation. Digoxin is one of several medications used to treat the symptoms of heart failure.
What should you check before administering digoxin?
A nurse should assess the apical pulse for a full minute before administering digoxin due to its positive inotropic action (it increases contractility, stroke volume, and, thus, cardiac output), negative chronotropic action (it decreases heart rate), and negative dromotropic action (it decreases electrical conduction …
What is the normal range for maintenance Lanoxin therapy?
Maintenance dose– 0.125–0.5 mg/day depending on patient’s lean body weight, renal function, and serum level. PO Geriatric Patients: Initial daily dose should not exceed 0.125 mg.
Does digitalis increase cardiac output?
Digitalis administration does not alter cardiac output in normal subjects, although it does cause significant increase in contractility.
How does digitalis work at a molecular level to increase contractility?
Digoxin induces an increase in intracellular sodium that will drive an influx of calcium in the heart and cause an increase in contractility. Cardiac output increases with a subsequent decrease in ventricular filling pressures.
Why is digitalis called cardiotonic?
Digitalis is an example of a cardio-active or cardiotonic drug, in other words a steroid which has the ability to exert a specific and powerful action on the cardiac muscle in animals, and has been used in the treatment of heart conditions ever since its discovery in 1775.
What are the parameters for digoxin?
Therapeutic serum digoxin levels range from 0.5–2 ng/mL. Serum levels may be drawn 6–8 hr after a dose is administered; usually drawn immediately before the next dose.
What does USP24 stand for?
USP Standards for Packaged Purified Water, Water for Injection, and Sterile Purified Water (USP24 effective 1/1/00). USP24 contains complete versions of all pharmaceutical water monographs p. 1752-1754 and the general chapters <643> TOC, <645> Water Conductivity p. 1927-1929, and <1231> Water for Pharmaceutical Purposes p. 2154-2163.
Is Digitalis poisonous to humans?
Digitalis is highly poisoning and can be fatal only after eating a few flowers or leaves. It is not advisable to use the plant for medicinal reasons by yourself. The plant is also a medicinal plant, but for using it you should buy produced and dosed products which you can by in the pharmacy.
Should digitalis be cut back?
Digitalis is a short-living plant. Therefore, a pruning of the plant is usually not necessary. But foxglove is a good cut flower. For that use, the stem needs to be cutted to the right length.
Can you provide photocopies of copyrighted material in USP24?
USP24 contains complete versions of all pharmaceutical water monographs p. 1752-1754 and the general chapters <643> TOC, <645> Water Conductivity p. 1927-1929, and <1231> Water for Pharmaceutical Purposes p. 2154-2163. We can not provide photocopies of copyrighted material.