title: Mid-term follow up results of Japanese heart transplant patients operated in UCLA Medical Center.
abstract: Japanese candidates have been accepted for heart transplantation by the UCLA Medical Center in the US since 1993 due to the lack of donors available from brain-dead patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We monitored to patients who underwent such heart transplantation and have been seen at the out-patient clinic at Tokyo Women's Medical University following transplantation. Pre-operative diagnosis was dilated cardiomyopathy in all patients. One patient underwent Novacor implantation as a bridge to heart transplant. All patients underwent cardiac echocardiography and cardiac catheterization including intraluminal echography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients survived with an actuarial survival curve of 100% at 1 year, 100% at 3 years and 87% at 5 years in 4.15 years of average follow-up. Two patients died due to liver dysfunction and cerebral emboli. The postoperative functional status of patients was New York Heart Association classification I in 8 (100%). Immunosuppressive therapies included triple drug therapy using either cyclosporin or tacrolimus. The incidence of acute rejection (/pt) exceeding grade 3 was 4% within three months, 3.5% in 3-6 months, and no significant rejection episode more than 6 months after transplantation. Posttransplantation coronary artery disease was seen in 2 patients, but no progression was seen after diltiazem therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our postoperative follow-up after cardiac transplantation appears to be satisfactory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Heart Institute of Japan, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hachida
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nonoyama
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hanayama
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyagishima
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoshi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koyanagi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000209:etiology; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents