[Use of digoxin in patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia].

The effectiveness and electrophysiologic mechanisms of antiarrhythmic effect of digoxin were examined in 27 patients with paroxysmal atrioventricular nodal reciprocal tachycardia (PAVNRT) and supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) due to latent complementary conductive pathways, i. e. latent Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. To assess antiarrhythmic action of digoxin, transesophageal pacing and plasma digoxin radioimmonoassays were used. Preventive antiarrhythmic efficiency of digoxin was 53% in PAVNRT patients, and 25% in SVT patients with latent WPW syndrome. Antegrade atrioventricular conduction block seems to be the mechanism of oral digoxin preventive effect. There was no relationship between antiarrhythmic efficiency of digoxin and its plasma level.