Use of extracorporeal photochemotherapy in heart transplant recipients during acute rejection: a case study

Abstract

Despite the growing availability of improved immunosuppressive agents, acute and chronic rejection episodes remain a major complication in heart transplant recipients. The rejection of allografts is a normal part of the body's response to foreign antigens. The key to controlling this response is to administer a regimen of multiple immunosuppressive drugs. Evidence indicates that by adding extracorporeal photochemotherapy to a standard immunomodulatory regimen, the rejection process can be reversed without significantly increasing patient risk. In this case study we examine extracorporeal photochemotherapy and the care of patients receiving this therapy.

Adjuvant treatment of refractory lung transplant rejection with extracorporeal photopheresis

“…18 Multiple reports have been published demonstrating the efficacy of ECP for the treatment or prophylaxis of heart transplant rejection. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][19][20][21] Rose and colleagues 7 reported the successful use of ECP as adjuvant immunotherapy in 4 heart transplant recipients with elevated levels of panel-reactive antibodies. Meiser and associates 6 demonstrated that ECP as adjuvant immunotherapy for heart transplant recipients significantly decreased the number of acute rejection episodes without increasing the number of infectious complications.…”

“…There are reports detailing the efficacy of ECP for the treatment and prevention of acute allograft rejection. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Taken together, these reports suggest that ECP is a safe, effective therapy with only minimal side effects.…”