Immunosuppression in lung transplantation.

Lung transplantation can be a life-saving procedure for those with end-stage lung diseases. Unfortunately, long term graft and patient survival are limited by both acute and chronic allograft rejection, with a median survival of just over 6 years. Immunosuppressive regimens are employed to reduce the rate of rejection, and while protocols vary from center to center, conventional maintenance therapy consists of triple drug therapy with a calcineurin inhibitor (cyclosporine or tacrolimus), antiproliferative agents [azathioprine (AZA), mycophenolate, sirolimus (srl), everolimus (evl)], and corticosteroids (CS).

Clinical outcomes associated with the early postoperative use of heparin in pancreas transplantation.

Background: Graft thrombosis following pancreas transplantation is the leading non-immunologic cause of graft loss. Routine systemic anticoagulation is controversial because of an increased bleeding risk.

Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center analysis including all pancreas transplants performed over 9 years evaluating the use of low-dose heparin in the early postoperative period.

Timing of factor VIIa in liver transplantation impacts cost and clinical outcomes.

Study Objective: To investigate the clinical and economic outcomes associated with the use of recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) in perioperative liver transplantation (LT).

Design: Retrospective review.

Setting: Academic medical center.