Risk-Guided Strategy to Prevent Cytomegalovirus Associated Complications After Liver Transplantation

Abstract

Aim: We evaluated a risk-guided strategy to prevent cytomegalovirus-associated complications (CMV-ac) after liver transplantation (LT). Patients & methods: Forty liver graft recipients were stratified according to their CMV risk status to prophylactic (high risk, HR and group) or pre-emptive antiviral treatment (intermediate, IR, and low risk, LR and group). A detailed analysis of clinical and virological data was performed. Results: 8/40 patients were classified within the HR, 28/40 within the IR and 4/40 within the LR group. Incidence of CMV viremia was 3/8 (38%) in the HR, 9/28 (32%) in the IR and 0/5 in the LR group. Mortality rate of CMV-ac was 0%. Conclusion: A risk-guided antiviral strategy is effective to prevent severe CMV-ac up to 1 year after LT.

Keywords: :

• CMV
• liver transplantation
• pre-emptive therapy
• prophylaxis
• valganciclovir

Financial & competing interests disclosure

N Weiler, consultancies/speaker’s bureau for Astellas and Novartis. S Trötschler, nothing to report. AA Schnitzbauer, consultancies/speaker’s fees: Astellas, TEVA, Novartis and Integra Life Sciences. Travel support: Astellas. WO Bechstein, consultancies/speaker’s fees: Astellas, Celgene, Gilead, Integra, Medupdate, MerckSerono, Novartis and Teva. E Herrmann, nothing to report. S Zeuzem, consultancies/speaker’s bureau for Abbvie, BMS, Gilead, Janssen and Merck. M-W Welker, consultancies/speaker’s fees: AbbVie, Amgen, Bayer, BMS, Gilead, Novartis, Roche, and Sequana Medical. Travel support: AbbVie, Astellas, Bayer, BMS, Novartis, Janssen and Roche. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.