Purpose of the study: The specific aims of this study are to evaluate overall efficacy and safety of the pre-transplant IVIG treatment in our transplant center since 2007 and to identify factors affecting treatment outcomes in order to improve patient selection and treatment protocols for future patients.
Background: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) infusion is one of several novel approaches to decrease antibody levels for highly sensitized kidney transplant candidates \[1, 2\]. This approach can potentially give a chance of kidney transplantation to end-stage renal failure patients who could never receive transplantation because of high levels of antibodies and persistent positive crossmatches to all potential kidney donors. Many transplant centers have used this strategy in order to increase transplant rates of highly sensitized patients with various levels of anti-HLA antibodies. However, the responses to the treatment seem to be different in each patient and factors affecting treatment outcome have yet to be determined.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
180
University of Miami
Miami, Florida, United States
Anti HLA antibody level
Time frame: after IVIG infusion
Number of patients transplanted
Time frame: at the end of study
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