These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Methotrexate therapy in pediatric heart transplantation as treatment of recurrent mild to moderate acute cellular rejection.
    Author: Shaddy RE, Bullock EA, Tani LY, Orsmond GS, Olsen SL, Taylor DO, McGough EC, Hawkins JA, Renlund DG.
    Journal: J Heart Lung Transplant; 1994; 13(6):1009-13. PubMed ID: 7865506.
    Abstract:
    We have used adjunctive therapy with methotrexate as treatment of recurrent mild-to-moderate acute cellular rejection and in an attempt to reduce rejection frequency and corticosteroid dosage. The purpose of this study was to review our experience with this treatment strategy. Eight patients, 13.1 +/- 1.1 years of age (mean +/- standard error of the mean) at the time of transplantation, were given methotrexate in addition to their standard triple therapy immunosuppression. Methotrexate was started at 6.2 +/- 2 months after transplantation after an average of 3.1 +/- 0.4 rejection episodes. Patients were given methotrexate weekly for 8 weeks at 2.5 or 5 mg orally every 12 hours for three doses (0.23 +/- 0.02 mg/kg/week). The time to resolution of rejection was 17.9 +/- 4 days after initiating methotrexate therapy. The number of rejections per month decreased significantly from the 2 months before methotrexate therapy (1.49 +/- 0.1) when compared with both the 2 months during methotrexate therapy (0.50 +/- 0.1) and the 2 months after methotrexate therapy was completed (0.44 +/- 0.3) (p < 0.005). Furthermore, when comparing total rejection frequency since transplantation and before methotrexate therapy to a follow-up period of 21.8 +/- 5 months after completion of methotrexate therapy, the rejection frequency was significantly less (0.81 +/- 0.2 versus 0.10 +/- 0.06 rejections/month) (p < 0.01). Prednisone dosage was also significantly less when comparing the time before methotrexate therapy to immediately after completion of methotrexate therapy (0.23 +/- 0.04 versus 0.15 +/- 0.03 mg/kg/day) (p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]