title: Incidence and severity of acute cardiac allograft rejection with two different low-dose cyclosporine maintenance protocols.
abstract: Currently cyclosporine (CyA) represents the main immunosuppressive agent used after cardiac transplantation and usually is administered in combination with prednisone and/or azathioprine for prevention of graft rejection. From March, 1984, to August, 1987, 53 patients underwent orthotopic heart transplantation for terminal-stage heart disease at the Second Department of Surgery, University of Vienna. All patients received CyA in increasing dosage (3 mg/kg to 6-10 mg/kg) postoperatively according to renal function, obtaining a trough high-pressure liquid chromatographic whole-blood target level of 200 to 400 ng/ml at the end of the first week. CyA was subsequently tapered to 100 to 150 ng/ml after 6 months. From March, 1984, through April, 1986, maintenance immunosuppression was carried out with a double-drug regimen of CyA and azathioprine. Since May, 1986, a triple-drug schedule was applied with CyA, azathioprine, and prednisone. Under triple-drug therapy, the incidence of mild, moderate (p less than 0.0001), and severe (p = 0.05) allograft rejection proven by endomyocardial biopsy decreased significantly with a corresponding increase of absent (p less than 0.0001) rejection. Freedom from moderate, severe, and lethal graft rejection, number of rejection episodes per patient after 1 year (double drug, 1.0, versus triple drug, 2.5), and patient survival disclosed significant improvement for recipients of the triple-drug regimen. Both groups had the same incidence of infectious complications; freedom from death by infection after 1 year was 90% versus 91% (double versus triple drug, p = 0.20).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000187:drug effects*; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D003524:Cyclosporins; D001379:Azathioprine; D011241:Prednisone