Heart transplantation in Norway. One-year experience.
Eight patients underwent orthotopic heart transplantation in Norway during 1984, with retransplantation in one case. The age range of the 5 men and 3 women was 19-53 years. The preoperative diagnosis was cardiomyopathy in 6 patients, ischaemic heart disease in one, and a combination of the two disorders in one patient. The immunosuppressive regimen, with cyclosporin A and low-dose prednisolone, and the treatment of graft rejection, followed the Stanford University protocol. There was no operative mortality. Three patients died shortly after the transplantation, 2 of them after about a week from acute rejection; in one of these 2 cases a second transplant was made, but was followed by pulmonary and renal complications. The third death occurred about 10 weeks postoperatively, from donor heart failure due to Toxoplasma myocarditis. The 5 survivors are clinically in good condition.
D000328:Adult; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014019:Tissue Donors
D003524:Cyclosporins; D011239:Prednisolone