The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Apr 1998
Improved oxygenation and increased lung donor recovery with high-dose steroid administration after brain death.
The number of patients waiting lung transplantation greatly exceeds the supply of donors. This study was conducted to determine the effect of high-dose steroid administration on oxygenation and donor lung recovery after brain death. ⋯ High-dose methylprednisolone given during donor management results in improved oxygenation at organ recovery. This treatment resulted in a significant increase in the number of lungs transplanted and may have enabled donors to be treated longer.
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Apr 1998
Comment Letter Case ReportsTreatment of aspergillus-related ulcerative tracheobronchitis in lung transplant recipients.
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Apr 1998
Comparative StudyHigher incidence of malignant neoplasms after heart transplantation for treatment of chronic Chagas' heart disease.
Heart transplantation is a new therapeutic procedure to treat heart failure resulting from Chagas' disease. Experimental studies have demonstrated neoplastic effects of benznidazole, which is used for treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. We compared the incidence and characteristics of neoplasia after heart transplantation for treatment of chronic Chagas' disease with those of other diseases. ⋯ We found a higher incidence of malignant neoplasia after heart transplantation for treatment of chronic Chagas' disease. It is likely that the neoplasia is the result of chronic infection with an immunomodulator protozoan, immunosuppression, reactivation of the T. cruzi infection, or the toxicity of therapeutic intervention with benznidazole.
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Apr 1998
Morbidity, functional status, and immunosuppressive therapy after heart transplantation: an analysis of the joint International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation/United Network for Organ Sharing Thoracic Registry.
The morbidity and mortality studies on heart transplantation to date have come from single-center or multicenter studies that often have required collection of data over periods of time greater than a year. Data are now available from the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation/United Network for Organ Sharing (ISHLT/UNOS) Thoracic Registry from all centers in the United States performing heart transplantation, which allows analysis of morbidity and mortality rates on an annual basis. ⋯ Clinical data are now available from the ISHLT/UNOS Thoracic Registry on the basis of the initial registration and 1-year follow-up of all patients undergoing heart transplantation in the United States. Analysis of these data from April 1, 1994, through March 31, 1995, demonstrates that the first year after the initial hospitalization for heart transplantation is a period of significant morbidity and frequent rehospitalization but excellent survival. In spite of a high level of functional capacity at 1-year follow-up, only a minority of patients return to work. The ISHLT/UNOS Thoracic Registry can now serve as a valid source of data for future analysis of trends in heart transplantation in the United States.