Lower risk of infectious deaths in cardiac transplant patients receiving basiliximab versus anti-thymocyte globulin as induction therapy.

Background: Conventional antibody induction therapy is currently used in heart transplantation despite safety concerns. This 6-month, prospective, randomized, multicenter, open-label study examined whether basiliximab offers a tolerability benefit compared with anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) while maintaining similar efficacy in de novo heart transplant recipients.

Methods: Adult heart transplant recipients were randomized to receive basiliximab (20 mg on Day 0 and Day 4) or ATG (2.