Strategies of immunosuppression in cardiac transplantation

Immunosuppression for cardiac transplantation, as currently practiced, is based to a large extent on clinical trials that can best be characterized as single-institutional, uncontrolled, or historically controlled studies. While these non-randomized, retrospective studies clearly advanced the science and art of cardiac transplantation to the point that survival rates approaching 90% at 1 year are achievable, the specific immunosuppressive protocols used at any given institution are likely based more on the individual transplant surgeon's or physician's training and experience, than on a firm scientific basis. Thus, a significant lack of uniformity exists among transplant centers in virtually all phases of immunosuppression. More clinical and basic research efforts are needed to unify immunosuppressive strategies following cardiac transplantation. In the future, greater individualization of therapy is likely to occur and more prospectively randomized, multi-center trials are likely to be carried out, particularly in the area of early rejection prophylaxis.