title: Efficacy and safety of amphotericin B lipid complex injection (ABLC) in solid-organ transplant recipients with invasive fungal infections.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fungal infections following solid-organ transplantation are a major source of morbidity and mortality. This report describes the efficacy and safety of Amphotericin B Lipid Complex Injection (ABLC) in solid-organ transplant recipients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three open-label, second-line treatment studies evaluated ABLC as a treatment for severe, life-threatening mycoses in patients who were refractory to or intolerant to conventional antifungal (mostly amphotericin B [AmB]) therapy or had pre-existing renal disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 79 solid-organ transplant recipients (25 heart, 20 liver, 17 kidney, 11 lung, 5 multiple, 1 pancreas) who received ABLC in these studies had the following fungal infections: aspergillosis (n = 39); candidiasis (n = 20); zygomycosis (n = 8); cryptococcosis and histoplasmosis (n = 3 each); and blastomycosis, cladosporiosis, fusariosis, Bipolaris hawaiiensis, Dactylaria gallopava, and an unspecified fungal infection (n = 1 each). The median duration of ABLC therapy was 28 d (1-178 d). The daily dose ranged between 1.6 and 7.4 mg/kg (median, 4.6 mg/kg). The clinical response rate for the patients who could be assessed was 58% (39/67). Clinical response rates for heart, liver, kidney, and lung recipients were 59, 60, 67, and 40%, respectively; response rates for aspergillosis and candidiasis were 47 and 71%, respectively. Forty-six of the 79 patients (58%) survived for more than 28 d after the last dose of ABLC. Mean baseline serum creatinine was 3.2 mg/dL; 64 patients (81%) had stable (n = 37) or improved (n = 27) serum creatinine at the end of treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ABLC is safe and effective treatment for fungal infections in solid-organ transplant recipients. Its renal-sparing properties are particularly suited for this high-risk population for renal failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA 15213-2582, USA. pkl@med.pitt.edu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Linden
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009181:Mycoses / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D016377:Organ Transplantation; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010715:Phosphatidylglycerols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D004338:Drug Combinations; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010715:Phosphatidylglycerols; C068538:liposomal amphotericin B; D000666:Amphotericin B