An immunosuppressive regimen including the use of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and an interleukin-2 monoclonal antibody (IL2mAb) has shown promise to prevent acute rejection after heart transplantation. There has been a lack of report on the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this regimen in patients receiving heart transplants in Korea.

From November 1992 to December 2003, 111 consecutive patients who had received heart transplants in our institute were classified into two groups: patients who received the immunosuppressive regimen with MMF and an IL2mAb (group A, n=51) and patients who did not receive the regimen (group B, n=60). We compared the clinical outcomes of patients in each group including the survival rate and the occurrence of acute rejection and infection at 24 months post transplantation.

Both drugs were tolearated in all patients except in 5 patients who complained of gastrointestinal side effects due to MMF. Despite a longer ischemic time (137.4±54.6 vs. 92.3±25.8 hours, p<0.05) and a lower serum level of cyclosporine (212.3±66.8 vs. 259.1±62.1 ng/mL, p<0.05), the rate of treatment for acute rejection was lower in group A than in group B (16% vs. 53%, p<0.05). In addition, the median time to the first treatment for acute rejection was almost twice as long for group A as for group B (91 vs. 43 days, p<0.05). The 2-year survival rate and the incidence of major infection requiring hospitalization in both groups were 94% vs. 88% and 26% vs. 21%, respectively, which were not statistically different.

An immunosuppressive regimen including the use of MMF and an IL2mAb is efficacious and safe as a prophylaxis against acute rejection without the increased risk of major infection in patients who have received heart transplants in Korea.