Twenty-four Hour Steroid Avoidance Immunosuppressive Regimen in Liver Transplant Recipients.
Ju WQ, Guo ZY, et al.Experimental & Clinical Transplantation, 10(3): 258-262, 2012.
Aims
To investigate the efficacy and safety of an immunosuppressive regimen of steroid avoidance in combination with basiliximab induction therapy and tacrolimus in liver transplant recipients.
Interventions
Steroids withdrawn 3 months after the operation versus steroids eliminated within 24 hours. All patients received interleukin-2 receptor antibody induction therapy (basiliximab) and tacrolimus maintance therapy.
Participants
91 adult liver transplant recipients.
Outcomes
Patient survival rate, the incidence of acute rejections, graft function measured as alanine aminotransferase and total bilirubin; renal function measured as creatinine and blood urea nitrogen; other outcomes included the incidence of infections (bacterial, fungal, and cytomegalovirus), new-onset diabetes mellitus (NODAT), hypertension and hypercholesterolemia.
Follow-up
36 months
CET Conclusions
In recipients of a liver transplant in which patients were induced with an IL-2 receptor antibody and were maintained on tacrolimus, the avoidance of steroids did produce acceptable results in comparison to patients who were treated with steroids for the first three months after transplantation. There was possibly greater incidence of NODAT in patients receiving steroids, but no other differences were noted.
Data analysis
Per protocol analysis
Trial registration
Not reported