Midterm results of a prospective randomized comparison of two different rabbit-antithymocyte globulin induction therapies after heart transplantation

This prospective randomized study compared the effects in heart transplant recipients of thymoglobulin and ATG, two rabbit polyclonal antithymocyte antibodies available for induction therapy. Among 40 patients (29 men and 11 women, mean age: 40.7 +/- 14 years) undergoing orthotopic heart transplantation, 20 were randomly allocated to receive induction with thymoglobulin (group A) and 20 to ATG-fresenius (group B). Comparisons between the two groups included early posttransplant (6 months) incidence of acute rejection episodes (grade >/= 1B), bouts of steroid-resistant rejection, time to first rejection, survival, graft atherosclerosis, infections, and malignancies. The study groups displayed similar preoperative and demographic variables. No significant difference was found with regard to actuarial survival (P =.98), freedom from rejection (P =.68), number of early rejections > 1B (P =.67), mean time to first early cardiac rejection (P =.13), number of steroid-resistant rejections (P =.69). Cytomegalovirus reactivations were more frequent among group A (65%) than group B (30%; P =.028). New infections due to cytomegalovirus occurred only in group A (four patients; 20%; P =.05). No cases of malignancies were observed at a mean follow-up of 32.8 +/- 8.9 months. Although thymoglobulin and ATG showed equivalent efficacy for rejection prevention, they have different immunological properties. In particular, thymoglobulin seems to be associated with a significantly higher incidence of cytomegalovirus disease/reactivation.     

Impact of induction therapy on bacterial infections and long-term outcome in adult intestinal and multivisceral transplantation: a comparison of two different induction protocols: daclizumab vs. alemtuzumab

Abstract: Introduction: Induction therapy with daclizumab or alemtuzumab has been recently introduced for intestinal transplantation; however, the impact of such induction therapy on bacterial infections remains to be clarified. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of induction therapy on the incidence of bacterial infections and long‐term patient survival. Patients and methods: Over the past seven yr, we performed 39 intestinal (ITx) and multivisceral (MTVx) transplants in 38 adult patients. In the early period, daclizumab was used for induction, and tacrolimus and steroids were administered for maintenance [daclizumab and tacrolimus (DT) group; n = 11]. From 2002, we used alemtuzumab for induction, with low‐dose tacrolimus maintenance [alemtuzumab and tacrolimus (AT) group; n = 23]. The incidence of bacterial infections and patient outcome were compared between the two groups. Results: There were no significant differences in recipient and donor demographics, procedure (ITx vs. MTVx), and cold and warm ischemic time between the two groups. Within 30 d after ITx, bacterial infections were observed in seven patients (64%) in the DT and in 14 patients (64%) in the AT group. Between 30 and 180 d after ITx, a total of 17 episodes of bacterial infections were observed in the DT and 26 episodes in the AT group. Three patients in the DT and eight in the AT group died, and all of the deaths were related to infectious complications except one each in DT and AT. Conclusion: There was no difference in incidence of bacterial infections and long‐term patient survival between the two groups.     

Early and long-term results of heart transplantation after previous cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the preoperative management and long-term survival of patients undergoing heart transplantation as a redo-operation and compare the results with those obtained in patients undergoing transplantation as their first cardiac surgical procedure. METHODS: Between 1990 and 1997, 49 heart transplantation procedures were performed in patients who had undergone previous cardiac surgery (group A). This subgroup of patients was compared to 109 control patients who underwent cardiac transplantation as the primary cardiac procedure (group B). Patient groups were analysed regarding their preoperative, intra-operative, and postoperative variables in addition to survival. RESULTS: Pre-operative events were comparable in both groups but the duration of the operation was longer for group A (311+/-68 min) compared to group B (202+/-34 min); P=0.02. Post-operative exploration for bleeding was 6/49 patients in group A compared to 2/107 patients in group B (P=0.02). Post-operative blood loss and intensive care stay were greater for group A (1302+/-360 ml and 6.1+/-3.1 days, respectively) compared to group B (763+/-126 ml and 4.1+/-1.9 days, respectively); P=0.02. There was no difference in hospital mortality (group A 12.5%, group B 13 % P=0.9) and the 5-year survival rates were 68 and 71% for group A and B, respectively (P=0.9). CONCLUSIONS: Heart transplantation after previous open cardiac surgery is entirely justified in terms of outcome and graft function even in time of profound organ scarcity. Long-term events in these recipients are similar to patients in whom transplantation is the primary procedure.     

Improved results after heart-lung transplantation: a 17-year experience

OBJECTIVE: In selected patients with severe end-stage combined cardiopulmonary diseases, heart-lung transplantation (HLTx) remains the only therapeutical option for improving survival and quality of life. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Since 1983, 51 HLTx were done at our institution. Mean patient age was 27+/-12 years with a mean donor age of 25+/-11 years. Indications for HLTx were primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) in 49% of patients, congenital heart disease in 39%, cystic fibrosis in 6%, and repeat-HLTx in 6%. Eleven patients were younger than 14 years. Among these pediatric patients, the indications were PPH in 55% of patients, pulmonary atresia with severe pulmonary artery hypoplasia in 27%, and cystic fibrosis and cardiomyopathy with fixed pulmonary hypertension in 9% of patients each. Two patients had additional liver transplantation because of chronic aggressive virus hepatitis. For organ preservation, Euro-Collins solution (lung perfusion) and cardioplegic solution according to Bretschneider (heart perfusion) were used until 1994. The University of Wisconsin solution replaced Bretschneider's solution in 1994. Since 1996, Perfadex, a low-potassium dextran-based preservation solution, replaced Euro-Collins. All transplantations were done through a median sternotomy until 1994. Thereafter, a transverse thoracotomy was used in patients with suspected adhesions. Until 1995, cyclosporine A, azathioprine, and prednisolone were used for immunosuppression. Since then, tacrolimus replaced cyclosporine A. RESULTS: From 1983 until 1993, perioperative mortality was 35% (6/19). From 1994 on perioperative mortality decreased to 12.5% (4/32). Early mortality was caused by graft failure (n=5), severe bleeding (n=2), multi-organ failure (n=2), and acute rejection (n=1). Cumulative survival rates were 81% after 30 days, 63% after 1 year, and 54% after 5 years, respectively. Since 1994, cumulative survival rates were markedly improved to 87% after 30 days, 81% after 6 months, and 78% after 1 year. There was no death during the first postoperative year among the 11 pediatric patients. Late death was mainly caused by obliterative bronchiolitis (OB; 76%); two patients died because of multi-organ failure or septic complications, respectively, and one patient died within the first postoperative year because of aspergillosis. CONCLUSION: Changes in organ preservation management, surgical techniques, and immunosuppressive therapy significantly improved the short- and mid-term results after HLTx. Long-term results can only be improved in cases of successful prevention and treatment of OB.     

A 10-year experience with intravenous thymoglobuline in induction of immunosuppression following heart transplantation

BACKGROUND: Intravenous thymoglobuline (125 mg a day for 3 days, Institut Mérieux, France) has been used to induce immunosuppression following heart transplantation. Cyclosporine and prednisone, with and without azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil were used as maintenance immunosuppression. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the clinical effect of antibody induction of immunosuppression following heart transplantation. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the clinical experience at the Montreal Heart Institute. From 1988 to 1998, 163 patients were administered a 3-day course of intravenous thymoglobuline immediately following heart transplantation (Group 1). From 1983 to 1987 and during an isolated period in 1994, intravenous and oral cyclosporine was used immediately following heart transplantation in 48 patients (Group 2). Routine endomyocardial biopsies were performed in all patients and only moderate and severe rejection was treated. RESULTS: One, 5- and 10-year actuarial survival rate averaged 85%+/-3, 77%+/-4 and 67%+/-5 in Group 1 compared with 88%+/-5, 81%+/-6 and 76%+/-6 in Group 2 (p = 0.5). At 1 year, the freedom rate from an episode of acute rejection averaged 43%+/-4 in Group 1 and 30%+/-7 in Group 2 (p = 0.03) and the freedom rate from an episode of infection averaged 44%+/-4 in Group 1 and 31%+/-7 in Group 2 (p = 0.2). At 1, 5 and 10 years, the freedom rate from graft coronary artery disease averaged 93%+/-2, 68%+/-5 and 50%+/-7 in Group 1 compared with 93%+/-4, 58%+/-8 and 30%+/-8 in Group 2 (p = 0.1) and the freedom rate from cancer averaged 98%+/-1, 91%+/-3 and 67%+/-8 in Group 1 compared with 100%, 95%+/-3 and 77%+/-8 in Group 2 (p = 0.2). There was no side-effect related to the systemic injection of thymoglobuline. CONCLUSION: In a cyclosporine based protocol of immunosuppression, induction with an initial 3-day course of intravenous thymoglobuline is associated with a lower rate of acute rejection. Moreover, the risk of infection and of developing cancer is not increased whereas there was a trend towards a lower incidence of coronary atherosclerosis 5 and 10 years after transplantation.     

Pulsed dye densitometry with two different sensor types for cardiac output measurement after cardiac surgery: a comparison with the thermodilution technique

BACKGROUND: Assessment of cardiac output (CO) by the indocyanine green (ICG) dye dilution technique (IDD) with transcutaneous signal detection may be a less invasive alternative to the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC). The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy and reliability of the DDG2001 analyzer (Nihon Kohden Corp, Tokyo, Japan) using a finger (IDDf) and a nose (IDDn) sensor as compared with the thermodilution technique by PAC. METHODS: In 31 consecutive patients after routine cardiac surgery, CO measurements were performed by IDD compared with the thermodilution technique following postoperative haemodynamic stabilization in the intensive care unit. Repeated measurements were made at 30-min intervals. CO was determined by iced water bolus (IWB: mean of three repeated injections) and IDDf or IDDn, respectively (mean of three repeated ICG injections). RESULTS: Thirty-three per cent of all measurements for IDDf and 9% for IDDn failed due to a missing signal detection. Mean bias for IDDf to IWB was -0.5 l min(-1).m(-2) (limits of agreement: -1.8/0.8 l min(-1).m(-2)) and for IDDn to IWB was -0.1 l min(-1).m(-2) (limits of agreement: -1.6/1.5 l min(-1).m(-2)). Correlation between IDDf and IWB (r = 0.2) was found to be inferior to the correlation between IDDn and IWB (r = 0.5). CONCLUSION: The IDD showed a systematic bias compared with the IWB and its performance was limited due to signal detection failure. Therefore, the DDG2001 analyzer cannot be recommended as a substitute for the PAC in routine monitoring of cardiac output after cardiac surgery.     

Breast-conserving therapy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: long-term results

The purpose of this study was to determine patterns of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) and local-regional recurrence (LRR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and breast-conserving therapy (BCT). A total of 153 breast cancer patients were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by conservative surgery and radiation therapy between 1980 and 2002. The clinical stage (American Joint Committee on Cancer [AJCC] 1997) at diagnosis was IIA in 22%, IIB in 28%, IIIA in 39%, and IIIB in 11%. The prechemotherapy T size distribution was less than 2 cm in 5 patients, 2.1-5 cm in 100 patients, and greater than 5.1 cm in 48 patients. Sixty-seven patients (44%) underwent cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil (CMF)-based chemotherapy and 86 (56%) underwent Adriamycin-based chemotherapy. Thirty-seven patients (24%) had a complete pathologic response in the breast. All procedures were performed by a single surgeon (G.F.S.). The surgery was local excision alone in 19 patients, local excision and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in 130 patients, and ALND alone in 4 patients. Eleven patients had positive surgical margins. Rates of LRR-, IBTR-, and distant metastasis (DM)-free survival were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Patient and pathologic variables were then analyzed in an attempt to identify predictors of clinical outcome. With a median follow-up period of 55 months (range 6-200 months), eight patients developed LRR, five of which were classified as IBTR. Five- and 10-year actuarial rates of LRR-free, IBTR-free, and DM-free survival were 93% and 88%, 96% and 91%, and 70% and 58%, respectively. Pretreatment and pathologic parameters that positively correlated with IBTR were advanced stage (p = 0.03) and margin positivity (p = 0.04). No other clinical factors were predictive of higher recurrence. BCT results in a low rate of IBTR and LRR in appropriately selected patients. Advanced stage at presentation is associated with increased risk of IBTR, although overall recurrence is low. In selected cases, BCT is safe and an effective alternative to mastectomy.     

Biliary strictures after orthotopic liver transplantation: long-term results of percutaneous treatment in patients with nonfeasible endoscopic therapy

Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate our experience with percutaneous treatment of biliary strictures after orthotopic liver transplantation in adult patients without the endoscopic access possibility and to evaluate the technical outcomes and long-term clinical results of this treatment.

Materials and methods

Thirty percutaneous procedures were performed in adult liver transplant recipients (13 men, 17 women, mean age 46.4 years) in our institution between 1996 and 2010. Patients were treated with balloon dilatation and biliary duct drainage due to anastomotic stenosis (n = 20), nonanastomotic stenosis (n = 7), or due to stenosis caused by lymphoproliferation (n = 3). The percutaneous procedure was the first line of treatment due to hepaticojejunoanastomosis (n = 18) or after unsuccessful endoscopic therapy (n = 12).

Results

Technical success was achieved in 27 patients (90%). The remaining three patients only achieved external drainage with subsequent surgery. There were two complications (6.3%). Long-term clinical success, defined as the absence of clinical, laboratory, or sonographic signs of stricture recurrence was achieved in 22 patients (73.3%) for a mean follow-up of 5.8 years.

Conclusion

Percutaneous treatment—balloon dilatation and biliary duct drainage—is a first-line option to manage biliary duct strictures in liver recipient, when endoscopic treatment is not possible or unsuccessful. It has a high technical success rate and low complication rate with favorable long-term results.     

Noninvasive cardiac output: simultaneous comparison of two different methods with thermodilution

The authors attempted to simultaneously measure cardiac output by thermodilution (COtd), thoracic bioimpedance (CObi), and suprasternal Doppler ultrasound (COdopp) in 68 patients. Subgroups separately compared included patients whose lungs were mechanically ventilated, patients undergoing cardiac surgery, aortic surgery, patients with dysrhythmias, and patients with sepsis. The authors also studied the value of the ventricular ejection time (VET) in evaluating the agreement of CObi and COdopp with COtd. Simultaneous CObi and COtd were available in a total of 56 patients (416 data sets) with an overall correlation coefficient r = 0.61, regression slope (m) of 0.52, intercept (y) of 2.46, and mean (CObi-COtd) difference (bias) of -0.67 +/- 1.72 (SD) l/min. Simultaneous COdopp and COtd were available in 59 patients (446 data sets) with an overall r = 0.51, m of 0.53, y of 2.05, and bias of -0.79 +/- 1.95 l/min. CObi agreed most closely with COtd in patients whose lungs were mechanically ventilated, who had not undergone cardiac or aortic surgery, and with VET difference less than 40 ms (16 patients, 99 data sets; r = 0.74; m = 0.97; y = 0.15; bias = -0.02 +/- 1.53 l/min). COdopp agreed most closely with COtd in patients whose lungs were mechanically ventilated, who had not undergone cardiac or aortic surgery, and in sinus rhythm with VET difference less than 40 ms (10 patients, 45 data sets; r = 0.82; m = 0.98; y = -0.07; bias = -0.82 +/-1.03 l/min). VET by radial artery can help evaluate the reliability of CObi and COdopp.     

Long-term results of mycophenolate mofetil as part of immunosuppressive induction therapy after liver transplantation

BACKGROUND: The addition of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) to the induction protocol resulted in a lower incidence of rejection episodes. However, the question whether MMF should be administered in combination with tacrolimus or cyclosporine has not been answered yet. In our study, we report on the long-term results of triple induction therapy after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), consisting of MMF and low-dose corticosteroids, in combination with either tacrolimus or cyclosporine. METHODS: Between March 1996 and April 1997, 120 consecutive patients, who underwent OLT at our institution, were enrolled in this study. Of these patients, 80 received triple induction therapy consisting of cyclosporine and MMF (40) or tacrolimus and MMF (40), in combination with low-dose corticosteroids, whereas the remaining 40 patients served as 'MMF-free' control group receiving dual induction therapy with tacrolimus and corticosteroids. Besides the eight-yr follow-up of patient and graft survival, clinical data were also reviewed for episodes of rejection and infection. Additionally, the early post-operative pharmacokinetics of mycophenolic acid (MPA, immunological active metabolite of MMF) were evaluated. RESULTS: Long-term results provided higher patient and graft survival after tacrolimus/MMF-based induction therapy than after cyclosporine/MMF-based induction therapy. However, the tacrolimus-based control protocol yielded similar results and, therefore, no significantly superior effect was observed when MMF was added. The same observation was made for incidence of rejection and infection episodes. AUC and C(max) of MPA increased in combination with tacrolimus compared with cyclosporine. CONCLUSIONS: Although pharmacological synergy between tacrolimus and MMF was observed, MMF showed no significant beneficial effects in the immunosuppressive induction protocol, neither in combination with tacrolimus nor with cyclosporine.     

Preliminary results of immunosuppression with thymoglobuline pretreatment and hepatitis C virus recurrence in liver transplantation

Induction with thymoglobulin, a potent anti-thymocyte polyclonal antibody, has been recently reported to allow minimization of postoperative immunosuppression in organ transplantation. The relationship with recurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) after liver transplantation (LT) has never been investigated. We report herein on the outcome of 22 HCV+ patients receiving thymoglobulin pretreatment and minimal immunosuppression after liver transplantation. Patient survival and acute rejection rates were good, with remarkably low dosages and levels of immunosuppression achieved with thymoglobulin, and without exposing patients to an elevated risk of rejection. A progressive weaning of the primary immunosuppressant was also possible in the majority of patients without complications. The HCV recurrence rate was similar to that reported in the literature, although lower HCV RNA viral loads were obtained with thymoglobulin and a mild histologic course. Although our results need to be validated in large cohort studies, our experience shows that minimization of immunosuppression with thymoglobulin is effective to protect against rejection and demonstrated a positive impact on HCV recurrence that deserves further investigation.     

Short-term versus long-term induction therapy with antithymocyte globulin in orthotopic liver transplantation

T-cell depletion is an essential aspect of clinical immunosuppression. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of two dosage regimens in this setting. We retrospectively compared 246 patients (group 1) who received a 10-day antithymocyte globulin (ATG) induction protocol with 226 patients (group 2) who received a 3-day protocol. The 6-month rejection rate was 22.3% in group 1 and 12.7% in group 2 (P = 0.03). The sub-analysis showed a higher rejection rate in patients with cholestatic disease (P = 0.01), who were more numerous in group 1. This resulted in an overall difference between the groups. Rates of de novo malignancies and recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma were identical. Viral infection rates were 16% and 18%, respectively (P > 0.5). The rates of bacterial and fungal infection were also similar (37% vs. 42%, P > 0.1). However, infection and ATG administration are independent risk factors for survival. A lower rate of fatal infection was observed in group 2 (P = 0.01), while the 10-day ATG regimen had a detrimental effect on patients who had infection (P < 0.0001). Our results strongly support the application of 3-day ATG induction therapy regimen after orthotopic liver transplantation, as it is associated with the same rejection rate as long-term ATG induction therapy, without the negative survival effect of the latter due to lethal infection.     

Long-term outcomes after cardiac transplantation: an experience based on different eras of immunosuppressive therapy

BACKGROUND: Constantly changing practices in heart transplantation have improved posttransplant survival in patients with end-stage heart disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate long-term outcomes in different eras of immunosuppressive therapy after cardiac transplantation at a single center during a two-decade period. METHODS: A retrospective review of 1,086 consecutive cardiac allograft recipients who underwent transplantation between 1977 to 1999 was performed. Patients were divided into four eras based on type of immunosuppressive therapy: era 1 = steroids, azathioprine (n = 26, February 1977 to March 1983), era II = steroids, cyclosporine (n = 43, April 1983 to April 1985), era III = cyclosporine, steroids, azathioprine (n = 752, April 1985 to December 1995), era IV = cyclosporine, steroids, mycophenolate mofetil (n = 315, January 1996 to October 1999). RESULTS: The actuarial survival of the entire cohort of 1,086 patients undergoing cardiac transplantation was 79%, 66%, and 49% at 1, 5, and 10 years, respectively. There were significant trends in recipient age and gender distribution among the four eras with increasing proportion of older age (> 60 years) and female recipients in eras III and IV (p = 0.001 and 0.02). Early mortality and long-term survival improved significantly over all eras (p < 0.001). Rejection as a cause of death decreased over time (era I, 24%; era II, 21%; era III, 15%; era IV, 9%; p = 0.02), whereas the contribution of transplant coronary artery disease as a cause of death remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac transplantation provides satisfactory long-term survival for patients with end-stage heart failure. The improving outcomes in survival correlate with improved immunosuppressive therapy in each era. Although the reasons for improvement in survival over time are multifactorial, we believe that changes in immunosuppressive therapy have had a major impact on survival as evidenced by the decreasing number of deaths due to rejection.     

Cardiac transplantation with corticosteroid-free immunosuppression: long-term results

To assess the long-term safety of an immunosuppressive regimen without corticosteroids, we retrospectively evaluated 42 long-term (greater than 1 year) survivors of orthotopic cardiac transplantation. We determined the incidence of (1) conversion of the immunosuppressive regimen from cyclosporine and azathioprine alone (group I) to cyclosporine, azathioprine, and prednisone (group II), (2) late acute graft rejection (defined as occurring at greater than 1 postoperative year), and (3) major postoperative complications related to corticosteroids. Of the 42 patients who were started on cyclosporine and azathioprine, 48% remained in group I, and 52% converted to group II. Forty-five percent of group II patients were able to taper and discontinue prednisone in 15.6 +/- 2.2 months. Among the patients on long-term corticosteroid-free immunosuppression, the incidence of late rejection was 2.1% per endomyocardial biopsy. The incidence of late infectious episodes was not significantly different between the two groups of patients, although diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia were more prevalent in group II than in group I. These data suggest that cardiac transplant recipients who chronically remain on corticosteroid-free immunosuppression represent a select group of patients with an acceptably low risk of late graft rejection and associated reduction of potential risk factors of accelerated coronary artery disease.     

抗淋巴细胞制剂诱导治疗对肾移植后人、肾长期存活的影响

目的 探讨抗淋巴细胞制剂诱导治疗对肾移植后人、肾长期存活的影响.方法 271例首次接受尸体肾移植的受者,其中使用抗胸腺细胞球蛋白诱导治疗者110例(ATG组),使用巴利昔单抗诱导治疗者88例(Bax组),未接受诱导治疗者73例(对照组).所有受者术后采用他克莫司+吗替麦考酚酯+皮质激素的三联免疫抑制方案,并应用更昔洛韦预防CMV感染.术后对所有受者进行了1~5年的随访,观察和比较各组术后6个月内的并发症发生情况,以及术后1、3、5年的人、肾存活率.结果 ATG组、Bax组和对照组术后6个月AR的发生率分别为9.1 %(10/110)、10.2 %(9/88)和17.8 %(13/73),ATG组和Bax组间AR发生率的差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05),但均显著低于对照组(P＜0.05).3组间移植肾功能恢复延迟、CMV感染及非CMV感染等发生率的比较,差异均无统计学意义(P＞0.05).ATG组和Bax组术后1、3、5年移植肾存活率分别为95.5 %、90.9 %、87.3 %和93.2 %、87.5 %、83.8 %,均显著高于对照组的87.7 %、80.8 %、75.3 %(P＜0.05).结论 应用抗淋巴细胞制剂进行免疫诱导治疗可显著降低肾移植术后早期AR的发生率,并显著改善移植肾的长期存活率.

Abstract：

Objective To explore the impact of induction therapy with anti-lymphocyte agents on long-term survival of kidney transplantation.Methods 271 recipients of first cadaveric kidney transplants were treated with tacrolimus,mycophenolate mofetil and prednisone.110 patients of them received induction therapy with anti-thymocyte globulin(ATG group),88 patients received Basiliximab(Bax group),and the remaining 73 patients did not receive induction therapy(control group).The data of AR,DGF,CMV infection,and 1- 3- 5-year patient/allograft survival rate in three groups were retrospectively during a follow-up period of 1 to 5 years postoperatively.Results Within 6 months after operation,the incidence of AR in control group,ATG group and Bax group was 17.8 %(13/73),9.1 %(10/110)and 10.2 %(9/88)respectively.The incidence of AR in ATG group and Bax group was significantly lower than in control group (P<0.05).There was no significant difference in incidence of DGF and CMV infection among three groups.The 1-,3- and 5-year allograft survival rate postoperation in ATG group and Bax group was 95.5 %,90.9 %,87.3 % and 93.2 %,87.5 %,83.8 % respectively,which was significantly higher than in control group(87.7 %,80.8 % and 75.3 %,P<0.05).Conclusion Induction therapy with anti-lymphocyte agents may reduce the early incidence of AR and prolong long-term allograft survival significantly.