WEDNESDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) — The widely used heart drug
digoxin is associated with an increased risk of death in people
with the common heart rhythm disorder know as atrial
fibrillation, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed data from
more than 4,000 patients with atrial fibrillation and found that
digoxin was associated with a 41 percent increased risk of death
from all causes, a 35 percent increased risk of death from
cardiovascular causes, and a 61 percent increased risk of death
from problems with the rate and rhythm of the heartbeat. The
findings mean that among patients with atrial fibrillation who
take taking digoxin — compared to those not taking digoxin — one
additional patient out of six will die from any cause over five
years, one additional patient out of eight will die from
cardiovascular causes, and one additional patient out of 16 will
die from arrhythmias, the study authors said. The study, led by
Samy Claude Elayi, an associate professor of medicine at the
Gill Heart Institute at t