Cyclosporine lowering with everolimus versus mycophenolate mofetil in heart transplant recipients: long-term follow-up of the SHIRAKISS randomized, prospective study.

Background: Cyclosporine nephrotoxicity negatively impacts long-term outcome after heart transplantation (HT). We previously reported 1-year results from a randomized study showing that cyclosporine-lowering strategies based on everolimus or mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) are equally effective for reducing progression of renal dysfunction. It is unknown whether this efficacy could be maintained over the long term.