heart transplant rejection

Posted By  CCF CARDIO-MD sk on September 03, 1997 at 22:07:42:

In Reply to: heart transplant rejection posted by robert w. fisk on August 29, 1997 at 23:13:39:

: Where might I find information about the experiments  on injections used to  
  control rejection of the new heart after transplantation?

[CCF CARDIO MD SK]

Dear Mr. Fisk,
There are various medications that can be used immediately after transplantation for prevention of rejection.
Some of these medications are only available in the intravenous (iv) form whereas others can be used in oral or iv form.
The two most common intravenous therapies include, OKT3 (an antibody used for prevention of rejection) and anti-thymocyte globulin, also an antibody of somewhat different kind.
These are fairly specialized medications and their information can be found in Medical Textbooks with organ transplant focus.
Some of them include, Harrison's Textbook of Medicine, Braunwald's textbook of cardiology etc.
PDR also has some information on this subject.
I hope this has helped clarify some of you questions, if you have any further questions or would like to be seen by our Heart
Failure Group here at The Cleveland Clinic please feel free to call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment.
Information provided in the Heart Forum is intended for general medical informational purposes only. Actual diagnosis and
treatment of any particular medical condition can only be made by your family physician(s).