A Controlled Trial of Ganciclovir to Prevent Cytomegalovirus Disease after Heart Transplantation

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 326; no. 18; pp. 1182 - 1186
• Main Authors: Merigan, Thomas C, Renlund, Dale G, Keay, Susan, Bristow, Michael R, Starnes, Vaughn, O'Connell, John B, Resta, Silvia, Dunn, Diane, Gamberg, Patricia, Ratkovec, Ranae M, Richenbacher, Wayne E, Millar, Roger C, DuMond, Charles, DeAmond, Bernadette, Sullivan, Veronica, Cheney, Tricia, Buhles, William, Stinson, Edward B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 30.04.1992
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Antibodies, Viral - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Body weight; Coronary artery disease; Creatinine; Creatinine - blood; Cytomegalovirus; Cytomegalovirus - immunology; Cytomegalovirus Infections - prevention & control; Double-Blind Method; Esophagitis; Female; Fever; Ganciclovir; Ganciclovir - administration & dosage; Ganciclovir - therapeutic use; Gastritis; Gastrointestinal diseases; Heart; Heart diseases; Heart Transplantation; Hepatitis; Humans; Immunosuppression; Leukopenia; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Pneumonia; Postoperative Complications - prevention & control; Postoperative period; Transplantation; Transplants & implants; Urine; Heart; Human; Cytomegalovirus; Herpesviridae; Cardiovascular disease; Controlled therapeutic trial; Transplantation; Betaherpesvirinae; Virus; Infection; Prevention; Surgery; Antiviral
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199204303261803

MANY heart-transplant recipients become infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) with substantial short-term complications, 1 including both systemic and focal CMV illness in the first months after transplantation as well as increased susceptibility to other opportunistic infections during the first year. 2 CMV gastrointestinal disease and pneumonia are the most important short-term sequelae of CMV infection in heart-transplant recipients. 1 CMV infections have also been associated with a higher incidence of coronary artery disease in the years after transplantation. 3 Ganciclovir treatment produces improvement in the manifestations of disease due to CMV in this and other populations. 4 In addition, ganciclovir was recently found to be useful . . .