Podcast 781: Foxglove, Dropsy, and Salvador Dali

Emergency Medical Minute

Contributor: Chris Holmes, MD

Educational Pearls:

• Foxglove plant contains the cardiac glycoside digoxin
• Foxglove leaf potions were once used to treat Dropsy; a historic term for symptoms of heart failure
• Digoxin, previously used for treating heart failure, works by increases heart contraction strength and slows heart rate
• Of note, the EKG of patient on digitalis may have a ‘Dali Mustache’ appearance
• Digoxin toxicity can lead to a variety of dysrhythmias as well as neurological, GI, and metabolic effects
• Treatment of digoxin toxicity is digoxin-immune fab, which is an antibody that binds digoxin

References

David MNV, Shetty M. Digoxin. [Updated 2021 Dec 23]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556025/

Cummings ED, Swoboda HD. Digoxin Toxicity. [Updated 2021 Jul 10]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470568/?report=classic

Summarized by Kirsten Hughes, MS4 | Edited by John Spartz MS4 & Erik Verzemnieks, MD

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