Digitoxin in Patients with Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction

The therapeutic efficacy of the cardiac glycoside digitoxin in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction is not established.

In this international, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned patients with chronic heart failure who had a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% or less and a New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class of III or IV or a left ventricular ejection fraction of 30% or less and an NYHA functional class of II in a 1:1 ratio to receive digitoxin (at a starting dose of 0.07 mg once daily) or matching placebo in addition to guideline-directed medical therapy. The primary outcome was a composite of death from any cause or hospital admission for worsening heart failure, whichever occurred first.