[Myocardial contractile function in acute heart failure during exposure to strophanthin and its combination with alpha-tocopherol].

In experiments on rabbits it was established that strophanthin (0.05 mg/kg) administered to animals with cardiac insufficiency due to a severe overloading of the heart function by occlusion of the diaphragmatic portion of the aorta by 4/5 of its diameter improved the contractile activity and relaxing properties of the left ventricle. This effect is however transient (up to 15-30 minutes) with the subsequent reduction of its characteristic indices, the development of symptoms of intoxication and not infrequently death of animals.