A pilot study of an intensified ganciclovir dosing strategy for treatment of cytomegalovirus disease in kidney and/or pancreas transplant recipients

Resource type
Journal Article
Title
A pilot study of an intensified ganciclovir dosing strategy for treatment of cytomegalovirus disease in kidney and/or pancreas transplant recipients
Abstract
Methods: Adult kidney and/or pancreas transplant recipients admitted with CMV (4/29/19–7/15/20) received IV ganciclovir(10 mg/kg Q12 h × 7 days) with step-down to standard-of-care (SOC) dosing thereafter (5 mg/kg Q12). A SOC cohort admitted before implementation of the dosing strategy (10/20/16–3/2/19) served as a comparator. Primary objective: rate of viral clearance (delta log CMV) at therapy day 7. Secondary objective: safety/short term efficacy. Results: Fifty-four patients met inclusion criteria; 22 high-dose, 32 SOC. Demographics were similar with the exception of more women (45.4% vs. 15.6%,P = .03) and higher presenting viral-load in the high-dose group (log 6.0±.7 vs. log 5.2±1.2, P = .02). Highdose resulted in significantly greater response to therapy at day 7 (log -.92±.51 vs. log -.56±.79, P = .04). Change in WBC at day 7 was not different (-.49±1.92 vs. .45±5.1, P = .97). Short-term clinical outcomes were similar between groups including mean hospital length-of-stay (P = .52), readmission rates (30 d: P = .38; 90 d: P = .5) and achievement of CMV viral-load less-than-lower-limit-of-quantification by day 90 (73% vs. 84%, P = .06). Rejection after CMV as well as graft/patient survival were similar between groups (P = .56, P > .99, P > .99). Conclusion: A high-dose IV ganciclovir strategy results in improved viral clearance kinetics without safety concerns and similar short term clinical outcomes.
Publication
Clinical Transplantation
Date
10/2021
Volume
35
Issue
10
Journal Abbr
Clin Transplant
Accessed
12/9/21, 10:58 AM
ISSN
0902-0063, 1399-0012
Language
en
Library Catalog
DOI.org (Crossref)
Citation
Jorgenson, M. R., Descourouez, J. L., Leverson, G. E., Saddler, C. M., Smith, J. A., Garg, N., Parajuli, S., Mandelbrot, D. A., & Odorico, J. S. (2021). A pilot study of an intensified ganciclovir dosing strategy for treatment of cytomegalovirus disease in kidney and/or pancreas transplant recipients. Clinical Transplantation, 35(10). https://doi.org/10.1111/ctr.14427