EVALUATION OF DIGOXIN LEVELS IN ELDERLY PATIENTS IN A TRAINING HOSPITAL: AN 11-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

Abstract

Results: The percentage of young-old, middle-old, and very-old patients was 39.4%, 45.3%, and 15.3%, respectively. Women were more (64.3%) and their median age and digoxin concentrations were higher (p<0.001). Outpatients’ median digoxin concentrations were lower than inpatients’ median digoxin concentrations (p<0.001). A proportion of 46.6% of all digoxin levels were therapeutic; 29.2% were subtherapeutic; and 24.2% were toxic. Subtherapeutic levels in males and toxic levels in females predominated (p<0.001). Toxic levels were higher in inpatients, and subtherapeutic levels were higher in outpatients (p<0.001). The highest rate of therapeutic levels was observed in young-old patients (48.7%), while toxic levels were observed most frequently in very-old patients (28.1%). The highest number of digoxin orders in elderly patients was from the emergency department (44.2%).