Incidence and Outcomes of BKV in Simultaneous Heart-Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Multi-Center Review

Purpose: BK polyomavirus viremia (BKV) is most commonly seen following kidney transplantation (KT), and can lead to kidney allograft dysfunction. Around 3% of KT recipients develop BKV within 1 yr following transplant, with ~29% of those KT recipients progressing to graft loss. The mainstay intervention for BKV is the reduction of maintenance immunosuppression (MIS). There are few reports of BKV following simultaneous heart-kidney (SHK) transplant. The aim of this project was to evaluate the incidence of BKV following SHK transplant to identify opportunities for improvement in our immunosuppression protocols.
Source: The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation - Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: Source Type: research