• August Supervía Caparrós, Emilio Salgado García, Xavier Calpe Perarnau, Miguel Galicia Paredes, Lidia García Gibert, Francisca Córdoba Ruiz, Carlos Clemente Rodríguez, and Santiago Nogué Xarau.
• Servicio de Urgencias, Hospital Universitario del Mar, Barcelona, España. Unitat Funcional de Toxicología, Hospital Universitario del Mar, Barcelona, España. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, España. Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, España. Grup de treball de Toxicologia de la SoCMUE (SoCMUETox), España.
• Emergencias. 2019 Feb 1; 31 (1): 39-42.

ObjectivesDigoxin poisoning is a frequent reason for seeking emergency care. This study aimed to assess mortality related to digoxin poisoning.Material And MethodsDescriptive observational study of digoxin poisonings attended in the emergency departments of 4 hospitals in Catalonia from 2013 through 2015. We gathered data relevant to the poisonings and recorded immediate and 30-day mortality. Factors possibly related to mortality were explored.ResultsA total of 171 digoxin poisonings were attended. Seven (4.1%) were acute and 164 (95.9%) were chronic. The immediate and 30-day mortality rates were 6.4% and 13.4%, respectively. Bivariate analysis did not identify factors related to immediate mortality. However, the variables more often associated with 30-day mortality in this analysis were acute poisoning (after which 13% died vs 2.7% of those with chronic poisoning, P=.05), suicide attempts (8.7% of whom died vs 0.7%, P=.048), more compromised renal function (21.7% vs 9.5%, P=.037), fewer neurologic symptoms (4.3% vs 17.8% with more symptoms, P=.005), higher mean digoxin concentrations (4.7 mg/dL in those who died vs 3.7 mg/dL, P=.027), and a lower Barthel index (mean [SD] 49.1 [33.4] in those who died vs 70.3 [28.5]; P=.006). Logistic regression analysis identified serum digoxin concentration to be independently associated with immediate mortality. A lower Barthel index was associated with 30-day mortality.ConclusionImmediate mortality is related to a high digoxin concentration in serum, and 30-day mortality to a low Barthel index.

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