title: Long-term hemodynamic follow-up of cardiac transplant patients treated with cyclosporine and prednisone.
abstract: To evaluate the long-term hemodynamic results in cardiac transplant patients treated with cyclosporine and prednisone, 19 patients were studied by cardiac catheterization and endomyocardial biopsy 13 +/- 3 months after transplantation. Immunosuppression consisted of 6 +/- 4 mg/kg/day cyclosporine and 20 +/- 8 mg/day prednisone. Eighteen patients were asymptomatic but had developed postoperative systemic hypertension (17 on antihypertensive therapy). These patients were compared with a normotensive control group of 18 patients without cardiovascular disease. Significant differences were found in heart rate; right atrial, pulmonary arterial, pulmonary arterial wedge, systemic arterial, and left ventricular end-diastolic pressures; cardiac index and stroke volume index; systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance; and end-diastolic volume index and left ventricular ejection fraction. The most frequent hemodynamic abnormalities included an elevated arterial pressure in 10 patients (56%), an elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure in six patients (33%), and a reduced ejection fraction in five patients (28%). Hemodynamic abnormalities tended to resolve or improve in the five patients restudied 2 years after transplantation. There was no significant relationship between fibrosis or inflammation on endomyocardial biopsy and hemodynamic abnormalities. We conclude that mild-to-moderate hemodynamic abnormalities are common in asymptomatic cardiac transplant patients receiving cyclosporine and prednisone.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000187:drug effects; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004699:Endocardium / Q000473:pathology; D004719:Endomyocardial Fibrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000187:drug effects; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000139:chemically induced; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D003524:Cyclosporins; D011241:Prednisone