Professional Documents
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Post-Heart Transplant
Indications
Utilized when patients cannot tolerate or when patients experience adverse events
associated with tacrolimus
Plan/Management
Educate patient & family about life long immunosuppressant therapy for the management
of patients after heart transplantation
Dosing Protocol
When utilizing induction therapy for patients with renal insufficiency or those that are at a
high immunological risk, cyclosporine is started on POD #3 or when improved renal
clearance is evident
Monitoring
Repeat trough level daily or less than daily when patients are hospitalized
Beyond 12 months target cyclosporine dose to maintain a cyclosporine trough blood level
(FPIA) of 100-150 ng/ml.
Special Considerations
When calling in a prescription to the patient's pharmacy, make sure to state specifically
which brand of cyclosporine the patient is receiving and is state "No Substitution".
Patients with renal dysfunction (creatinine >2.0 mg/dl, or creatinine clearance < 50 ml
min), consider consultation with transplant physician for individual management.
When making adjustments in dosing, nurses may increase or decrease a total of 50mg
total daily dose.
AVOID split dosing of Cyclosporine (Ie Neoral 100mg AM, 75mg PM)
When converting from oral to IV preparation for hospital use. IV dose is 1/3 of total
oral daily dose in divided doses every 12 hours as a continuous infusion. Any patient
getting IV cyclosporine, consult Transplant Pharmacist @ (615) 484-3129.
When initiating any other drug that will interact with cyclosporine (-azole antifungal, non-
dihydropyridine CCB etc), consider a dose reduction due to elevation of cyclosporine
levels with these medications
Follow-Up
In outpatients, check a trough 5-10 days following any dose adjustment or with the
addition of a drug that may potentially interact with cyclosporine. (Consult pharmacist with
any questions)
If chronic renal insufficiency, check BMP in addition to trough
Monitor Uric Acid and Magnesium per lab protocol and as needed
Physician Consult
For goal adjustment in patients with CrCl <50, dose adjustments in increments larger
than 50mg/day, when converting to PO to IV form, or if patient requests to change to
different brand of cyclosporine.
References
Robbins RC, Barlow CW, Oyer PE, et al. Thirty years of cardiac transplantation at Stanford University. J Thoracic
and Cardiovascular Surg. 1999; 117(5):939-51
Neoral [package insert]. East Hanover, NJ: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp; 2001
REVISED 11/2010