title: Ganciclovir treatment of serious cytomegalovirus infection in heart and heart-lung transplant recipients.
abstract: Experience with ganciclovir treatment of life- or sight-threatening cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in 22 heart and heart-lung transplant recipients at six medical centers was reviewed. All six heart-lung recipients and six of 16 heart recipients had CMV pneumonitis; five heart recipients had CMV gastrointestinal disease, three had retinitis, and two had infections in more than one organ system. Of the 18 patients (82%) surviving initial ganciclovir therapy, 16 improved, one stabilized, and one showed no change in clinical status. All cultures positive for CMV before treatment became negative during therapy. Six patients (33% of survivors) had recurrent episodes and received additional therapy. Four patients (18%) died during initial therapy; death was believed to be related to CMV infection in only two cases and to ganciclovir treatment in no case. Adverse reactions possibly attributable to ganciclovir included neutropenia (four patients), impaired renal function (one), thrombocytopenia (one), decreased blood pressure (one), and seizure (one). Ganciclovir appears to be well tolerated and to alter favorably the outcome of serious CMV infection in this patient population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keay
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Icenogle
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Zeluff
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Samo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Busch
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Buhles
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Merigan
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D015774:Ganciclovir; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000188:drug therapy; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D016041:Heart-Lung Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D016040:Lung Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000188:drug therapy; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D012173:Retinitis / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D015774:Ganciclovir; D000212:Acyclovir