Wound complications and surgical events in de novo heart transplant patients treated with everolimus: Post-hoc analysis of the SCHEDULE trial

An overview of the efficacy and safety of everolimus in adult solid organ transplant recipients

As the risk of graft loss due to acute rejection has declined, the goal of post-transplant management has switched to long-term preservation of organ function. Minimizing calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-related nephrotoxicity is a key component of this objective. Everolimus is a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor/proliferation-signal inhibitor with potent immunosuppressive and anti-proliferative effects. It has been widely investigated in large randomized clinical studies that have shown it to have similar anti-rejection efficacy compared with standard-of-care regimens across organ transplant indications. With demonstrated potential to facilitate the reduction of CNI therapy and preserve renal function, everolimus is an alternative to the current standard-of-care CNI-based regimens used in de novo and maintenance solid organ transplantation recipients. Here, we provide an overview of the evidence from the everolimus clinical study program across kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplants, as well as other key data associated with its use in CNI reduction strategies in adult transplant recipients.

Sirolimus Adverse Event Profile in a Non-Clinical Trial Cohort of Heart Transplantation Patients

Background

Sirolimus has been used increasingly in heart transplantation for its ability to reduce acute rejection, prevent the progression of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), and preserve renal function. We sought to assess the adverse reactions associated with the use of sirolimus compared to mycophenolate mofetil (MMF).

Material/Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 221 adult heart transplant patients who received either sirolimus or MMF as part of their immunosuppression from June 1, 2001 to April 1, 2005. Patients were assigned to 2 groups based upon immunosuppression use. The prevalence and types of complications were recorded in each group.

Results

Sirolimus was received by 109 patients and 112 patients received MMF during the study period. Seventy-seven patients (71%) in the sirolimus group experienced adverse reactions compared to 45 patients (40%) in the MMF group (P<0.01). Compared to MMF, the use of sirolimus was associated with a higher prevalence of elevated triglyceride levels, lower-extremity edema, and oral ulcerations. Sirolimus was discontinued due to adverse reactions in 22% of patients, whereas no patients in the MMF group experienced adverse effects requiring drug discontinuation.

Conclusions

Compared to MMF, sirolimus use is associated with a higher prevalence of adverse reactions requiring drug discontinuation, but most patients were able to stay on therapy despite adverse effects.

Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome After Heart Transplantation: A Case Report

BACKGROUND

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is a transient cerebrovascular disorder putatively caused by some immunosuppressive agents.

CASE REPORT

We recently encountered a 47-year-old female patient diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy who developed RCVS after heart transplantation. A triple-drug regimen consisting of tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and a corticosteroid was started after surgery. On postoperative day (POD) 11, the patient developed a severe headache, although computed tomography of the head demonstrated no signs of hemorrhage or infarction. At first, both a painkiller and migraine drugs were regularly administered to the patient. On POD 21, however, she developed an unbearable headache with a visual field defect and mild hemiparesis of the right hand. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed a cerebral infarction in the left occipital lobe with diffuse vasoconstriction of both the middle and posterior cerebral arteries. A diagnosis of RCVS was made and tacrolimus, a drug suspected to cause RCVS, was discontinued. In its place, two doses of basiliximab followed by everolimus, both of which are alternatives for tacrolimus, were given. The corticosteroid dose was also increased. Furthermore, to release vasoconstriction, both verapamil and diltiazem were administered. On POD 27, cerebrovascular constrictions were shown to be relieved on brain MRI and the patient's neurological symptoms subsequently almost completely diminished.

CONCLUSION

RCVS should always be considered as a cause of headache in heart transplant recipients because tacrolimus, an immunosuppressive agent, may trigger RCVS. This will allow rapid intervention that is essential for avoiding irreversible neurological deficits.

mTOR Inhibition by Everolimus Does Not Impair Closure of Punch Biopsy Wounds in Renal Transplant Patients

Background

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors are approved to prevent allograft rejection and control malignancy. Unfortunately, they are associated with adverse effects, such as wound healing complications that detract from more extensive use. There is a lack of prospective wound healing studies to monitor patients treated with mTOR inhibitors, such as everolimus or sirolimus, especially in nondiabetics.

Methods

Patients receiving everolimus with standard immunosuppressant therapy or standard immunosuppressant therapy without everolimus were administered 3-mm skin biopsy punch wounds in the left scapular region. Homeostatic gene expression was examined in the skin obtained from the biopsy and wound surface area was examined on day 7. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were examined for cytokine production.

Results

There are no significant changes in autophagy related 13, epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3, IL-2, kruppel-like factor 4, and TGFB1 gene expression in the skin suggesting that there is little impact of everolimus on these genes within nonwounded skin. Peripheral blood T cells are more sensitive to cell death in everolimus-treated patients, but they retain the ability to produce proinflammatory cytokines required for efficient wound repair. Importantly, there is no delay in the closure of biopsy wounds in patients receiving everolimus as compared to those not receiving mTOR inhibition.

Conclusions

Everolimus treatment is not associated with impaired closure of skin biopsy wounds in kidney transplant recipients. These data highlight the importance of exploring whether larger surgical wounds would show a similar result and how other factors, such as diabetes, impact wound healing complications associated with mTOR suppression.

Energetic interventions for healthspan and resiliency with aging

Several behavioral and pharmacological strategies improve longevity, which is indicative of delayed organismal aging, with the most effective interventions extending both life- and healthspan. In free living creatures, maintaining health and function into old age requires resilience against a multitude of stressors. Conversely, in experimental settings, conventional housing of rodents limits exposure to such challenges, thereby obscuring an accurate assessment of resilience. Caloric restriction (CR) and exercise, as well as pharmacologic strategies (resveratrol, rapamycin, metformin, senolytics), are well established to improve indices of health and aging, but some paradoxical effects have been observed on resilience. For instance, CR potently retards the onset of age-related diseases, and improves lifespan to a greater extent than exercise in a variety of models. However, exercise has proven more consistently beneficial to organismal resilience against a broad array of stressors, including infections, surgery, wound healing and frailty. CR can improve cellular stress defenses and protect from frailty, but also impairs the response to infections, bed rest and healing. How an intervention will impact not only longevity, health and function, but also resiliency, is critical to better understanding translational implications. Thus, organismal robustness represents a critical, albeit understudied aspect of aging, which needs more careful attention in order to better inform on how putative age-delaying strategies will impact preservation of health and function in response to stressors with aging in humans.