Digoxin is a type of drug called a cardiac glycoside. Their function is to slow your heart rate down and improve the filling of your ventricles (two of the chambers of the heart) with blood. For people with atrial fibrillation, where the heart beats irregularly, a different volume of blood is pumped out each time.

How does digoxin slow the heart rate?

AV Node Inhibition: Digoxin has vagomimetic effects on the AV node. By stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, it slows electrical conduction in the atrioventricular node, therefore, decreases the heart rate.

How does digoxin affect cardiac output?

Hemodynamic Effects

In patients with reduced systolic function and abnormal central hemodynamics who are in sinus rhythm, digoxin improves left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and reduces pulmonary capillary wedge pressure while increasing cardiac output both at rest and during exercise.