title: Acute rejection after heart transplantation.
abstract: Acute rejection (AR) seems to be less common with current immunosuppressive strategies; however, it remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the first year following heart transplantation. Despite great interest in noninvasive methods for detecting rejection, the endomyocardial biopsy remains the standard method for AR identification and, recently, the cardiac biopsy grading system has been reviewed. Moreover, the availability of several immunosuppressive drug combinations has generated confusion in the minds of clinicians. This review will focus on recently published studies that are related to the clinical impact of AR, combination regimens of chronic maintenance immunosuppression and specific therapeutic options for treating AR.
authors.affiliation: Heart Failure and Transplant Unit, Cardiology Department, Doce de Octubre Universitary Hospital, Avenida de Córdoba sn, 28041 Madrid, Spain. jdelgado.hdoc@salud.madrid.org
authors.forename: Juan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.forename: Violeta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Carlos S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: de la Calzada
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077552:Basiliximab; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013256:Steroids / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; C508594:IL2 protein, human; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D007376:Interleukin-2; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D013256:Steroids; D016572:Cyclosporine; D000077552:Basiliximab; D001379:Azathioprine