title: Pediatric heart transplantation without chronic maintenance steroids.
abstract: From 1986 to February 1993, 40 children aged 2 months to 18 years (average age 10.4 +/- 5.8 years) underwent heart transplantation. Indications for transplantation were idiopathic cardiomyopathy (52%), congenital heart disease (35%) with and without prior repair (71% and 29%, respectively), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (5%), valvular heart disease (3%), and doxorubicin cardiomyopathy (5%). Patients were managed with cyclosporine and azathioprine. No prophylaxis with antilymphocyte globulin was used. Steroids were given to 39% of patients for refractory rejection, but weaning was always attempted and generally successful (64%). Five patients (14%) received maintenance steroids. Four patients died in the perioperative period and one died 4 months later. There have been no deaths related to rejection or infection. Average follow-up was 36 +/- 19 months (range 1 to 65 months). Cumulative survival is 88% at 5 years. In patients less than 7 years of age, rejection was monitored noninvasively. In the first postoperative month, 89% of patients were treated for rejection. Freedom from serious infections was 83% at 1 month and 65% at 1 year. Cytomegalovirus infections were treated successfully with ganciclovir in 11 patients. No impairment of growth was observed in children who underwent transplantation compared with a control population. Twenty-one patients (60%) have undergone annual catheterizations and no sign of graft atherosclerosis has been observed. Seizures occurred in five patients (14%) and hypertension was treated in 10 patients (28%). No patient was disabled and no lymphoproliferative disorder was observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Ospedali Riuniti di Bergamo, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferrazzi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fiocchi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gamba
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mamprin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Senni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glauber
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Troise
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parenzan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000517:prevention & control; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007239:Infections / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013256:Steroids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D013256:Steroids; D016572:Cyclosporine; D001379:Azathioprine