Cytomegalovirus Immune Globulin (CMV-Ig): An Old Drug with Fewer Tricks - Removal of Prophylactic CMV-Ig Administration in CMV Mismatched Lung Transplant Recipients

The routine use of cytomegalovirus immune globulin (CMV-Ig) to provide passive immunity to cytomegalovirus (CMV) in patients is not supported in published literature. International guidelines do not advocate for the use of CMV-Ig alone in thoracic transplant and provide only weak recommendations for its role in combination with antiviral therapy for prevention of CMV. The utilization of CMV-Ig incurs significant cost, and carries the potential for infusion related toxicities. Furthermore, in 2012, an international survey reported only 38 % of thoracic transplant centers utilized CMV-Ig as part of a universal prophylaxis protocol.
Source: The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation - Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: Tags: (1300) Source Type: research