H1N1 Advisory for Heart/Lung Transplants

In light of the daily media attention and alerts to the spreading flu, it makes sense to provide some information relevant to the transplant community.

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NEW YORK, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- There are additional challenges for cardiopulmonary transplant recipients and donors if they catch H1N1 flu, U.S. researchers say.

Physicians representing the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation Infectious Disease Council issued an advisory for all programs in cardiothoracic transplantation that aggressive diagnosis and early treatment need be paired with active preventative measures to stem the impact of infection in the transplant population.

Since transplant recipients are treated with anti-rejection drugs, the advisory provides clear directions for specific dosing of anti-viral drugs and management of the background immunosuppression. Specific guidelines for evaluation and management of post-surgical transplant patients are also given, as well as recommendations for how and when to administer vaccines.

On the donor side, the advisory provides guidelines for how to evaluate and treat donors so that organs can be safely used and not wasted. Finally, it provides specific guidelines for the healthcare teams managing such patients.

"Nowhere is the threat of H1N1 (flu) more real than in cardiopulmonary transplantation", Mandeep R. Mehra, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, says in a statement.

"The ISHLT's Infectious Disease Council has developed what is assuredly the most comprehensive and clinically relevant direction for prevention and management of H1N1 flu in donors, recipients, care providers and family members."

The guidelines are published online in the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation.