Determination of the Effects of Digoxin on the Right Ventricular Function in Patients Undergoing Pneumonectomy

Introduction: Pneumonectomy is the standard treatment of lung cancer, even though patients should undergo several evaluations before surgery; deterioration of cardiopulmonary function after pulmonary resection is inevitable. We have evaluated the effects of digoxin on the improvement of right ventricular function and prevention of probable complications after lung resection surgery. Materials and Methods: All patients who were candidate for pneumonectomy or extensive lobectomy in Ghaem hospital from 2010 to 2012 were enrolled into this study and were divided into two groups randomly. The first group (group D) received digoxin during surgery and in the second group (group C) normal saline was administered as placebo. Echocardiographic evaluation of the patients was accomplished the day before and the day after surgery. Results: Among 20 patients in each group, male to female ratio was almost 2:1 and mean age was 63.8 (ranged 46-83 years). The most common cause of pneumonectomy was lung cancer. Comparison of the preoperative demographic variables, blood biochemistry, pulmonary function tests, echocardiographic and blood gas indexes showed no statistically significant differences between two groups. ,But postoperative evaluations showed a significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction in group D. Right ventricular systolic and diastolic diameters and pulmonary artery pressure were decreased significantly  as well. Conclusion: According to our results, we suggest a single dose of digoxin during lung resection surgery to improve cardiac performance after pneumonectomy.