Basic Course in Pediatric Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation – Niakoro

Basic Course in Pediatric Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation

Basic Course in Pediatric Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation

Course Content

Total learning: 67 lessons / 6 quizzes Time: 8 hours

Basis of immunosuppression therapy

Please, read this article in the link to learn more about immunosuppression therapy

Three situations during pediatric heart transplant require specific combinations of immunosuppressive therapies:

  • (1) Induction therapy: initial high-dose immunosuppression to facilitate graft acceptance, minimize the chance of early rejection, and potentially favor induction of tolerance;
  • (2) maintenance therapy for chronic acceptance of the allograft;
  • (3) augmented immunosuppression to reverse episodes of acute rejection

Induction therapy Generally, includes one of two approaches:

  1. Basiliximab, block IL-2 receptors
  2. Antithymocyte globulin which targets the T-Cell receptor and causes it to be removed from the cell surface or induces destruction of the entire cell through multiple mechanism
  • The rationale of induction therapy is to provide more intensive immunosuppression at the time when the alloimmune response is most intense.
  • Although induction therapy is used by approximately one-half of transplant programs, a survival benefit attendant on its use has not been clearly established.

Maintenance immunosuppression: 3 main groups of drugs

  • 1. Steroids
  • 2. Calcineurin inhibitors (CNI)
  • 3. Antiproliferative drugs

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