Infections in adult liver transplant patients under FK 506 immunosuppression.

Abstract

The preliminary results of infectious complications in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) using FK 506 as a primary immunosuppressive agent were encouraging.1 This early experience, however, was limited to only 20 patients who were followed for a short period of time. We have now extended our observations to 110 consecutive adult liver transplant recipients of first livers enrolled in the first human clinical trial of OLT under FK 506. A longer follow-up period (5 to 12 months) has allowed us to compare FK 506 with previous studies of infections in the cyclosporine (Cy A) era2 and to assess whether this new agent alters the infectious profile and overall rate of infection. The influence of FK 506 on well established risk factors for infection were specifically addressed, and include preoperative patient status, requirement for additional immunosuppression, reoperation, and retransplantation.