Get your full text copy in PDF
Erik Petrikovits, Helena Bedanova, Josef Necas, Pavel Studenik, Jan Cerny
Ann Transplant 2005; 10(3): 5-10
ID: 433648
Objectives: Acute rejection episodes negatively effect both short-term survival and development of graft vasculopathy.
Methods: We assessed the incidence and severity of acute rejection episodes under a new protocol using a monoclonal antibody daclizumab in the induction phase of immunosuppressive therapy. The study group B(26patients) was given daclizumab (1mg/kg), the control group A (25patients) was treated without daclizumab. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the important data. A total of first 10 EMB in every patient was classified according to the ISHLT recommendation. We also analysed the incidence of infections.
Results: During the first two months there was a significant lower incidence and/or severity of rejection episodes in the daclizumab group with p≤0,0016, 0,001 and 0,005 respectively.
Conclusions: Induction therapy with daclizumab significantly reduces the incidence of acute rejection episodes during the first two posttransplant
months in heart transplant recipients. It does not increase the risk of infection.