Prophylactic use of hyperimmunoglobulin for cytomegalovirus infection in heart transplantation.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in solid organ recipients can endanger the immunosuppressed patient and increase vulnerability to secondary infections and the high risk of rejection triggered by the viral disease. The effect of passive immunization against CMV was examined in 69 heart transplant patients. The patients received weekly administrations of 1 ml/kg of CMV hyperimmunoglobulin from the day of transplantation until the 30th postoperative day. Forty-four of the patients were monitored clinically and serologically up to the 120th postoperative day. Nine patients showed clinical and serologic signs of CMV infection; in 15 the only evidence of CMV infection was a rise in antibody titers. The remaining 20 patients showed no clinical or serologic signs of CMV infection. Three patients who were seronegative preoperatively remained seronegative until the end of the observation period. The results indicate a potential therapeutic benefit of hyperimmunoglobulin prophylaxis to prevent infectious complications due to CMV in heart transplant patients.