Open AccessINFECTIONS IN HEART-LUNG TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS
Author(s) -
Dummer Js,
Montero Cg,
Griffith Bp,
Hardesty Rl,
Paradis Il,
Ho M
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
transplantation
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.45
H-Index - 204
eISSN - 1534-6080
pISSN - 0041-1337
DOI - 10.1097/00007890-198606000-00012
Subject(s) - medicine , heart lung transplantation , sputum , lung , heart transplantation , antibiotics , pneumocystis carinii , lung transplantation , transplantation , pneumonia , tuberculosis , pathology , biology , pneumocystis jirovecii , microbiology and biotechnology
Infectious episodes were analyzed in 14 heart-lung transplant recipients who survived more than one week after transplantation. These patients had higher rates of infection than heart transplant recipients at our institution (P less than 0.01) and greater than 90% of all infections were potentially life-threatening. A total of 67% of all infections involved the lung or thoracic cavity as a primary site, and most of the rest were disseminated viral or fungal infections. Pneumocystis carinii infections occurred in six patients and were more common in this group than in patients who received heart transplants in the same period (P less than 0.005). Two patients followed more than one year developed a syndrome of chronic sputum production and bronchial colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which required recurrent treatment with i.v. antibiotics for symptomatic relief. The high rate of pulmonary infections in these patients presents a challenge to clinical management, and suggests that intensive and invasive monitoring for pulmonary infection is desirable.