[Coronary artery disease after renal transplantation: epidemiology, risk factors, and surgical approaches to treatment].

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the main cause of death in renal transplant recipients. The aim of the present study was to determine the frequency and risk factors of post-transplantation CAD and its influence on the long-term results of surgery, as well as to evaluate the efficiency of myocardial revascularization in patients with severe CAD. Analysis of the observation of 479 renal recipients (332 men and 147 women) aged 38.69 +/- 11.2 was performed. The mean follow-up period was 64.56 +/- 37.44 months. Sixty-eight patients had diabetes mellitus. CAD was diagnosed in 14.8% (71 out of 479) renal recipients; in 12.7% of patients it developed de novo and was revealed 32.4 +/- 18.6 months after the surgery. Ten-year survival of renal recipients with CAD was only 39%, while in the group of non-CAD patients it was 75% (p < 0.0001). Age more than 45, male gender, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, infections, pre-existing left ventricular myocardial hypertrophy, and renal transplant dysfunction were defined as significant risk factors of CAD de novo. Multi-factor Cox model found only age more than 45 (p < 0.009), male gender (p < 0.00001), and hyperlipidemia (p < 0.0058) to be independent risk factors of CAD. Myocardial revascularization was performed in 29 patients with coronary lesions: 27 patients underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty with stenting and 2 patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (5 and 52 months after renal transplantation). However, angioplasty had to be repeated in 6 out of 27 (22%) patients within 3 to 6 months. The average follow-up duration was 23 months (2 to 74 months) after revascularization. Prolonged effect (more than 12 months) was achieved in 17 out of 29 (58.6%) patients. None of the patients developed myocardial infarction after revascularization. Two patients died 28 and 35 months after angioplasty due to extracardial complications (hepatic cirrhosis and an oncological disease); one patient died 78 months after repeated revascularization from progressive cardiac insufficiency while receiving dialysis due to a relapse of renal transplant insufficiency. Thus, CAD develops in 14.8% of renal transplant recipients; in 12.7 of patients it develops de novo. There are conventional and nonconventional post-transplantation CAD risk factors, which include renal transplant dysfunction and post-transplantation infections. Association with myocardial hypertrophy, observed in a significant number of patients, is a feature of post-transplantation CAD. Coronary revascularization, angioplasty with stenting in particular, may be considered to be an effective method of CAD treatment in renal transplant recipients.

[Results of clinical trials of a novel glycoprotein IIb-IIIa antagonist framon in high-risk coronary angioplasty].

New glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa antagonist preparation framon (Monafram), is the F(ab')(2) fragment of a monoclonal antibody FRaMon directed against GP IIb-IIIa. This preparation blocks GP IIb-IIIa binding with fibrinogen and inhibits platelet aggregation both in vitro and upon intravenous administration. Safety and ability of framon to prevent thrombotic complications in high risk coronary angioplasty (CA) was evaluated in the present study. FRAMON was injected intravenously into 153 patients just before the start of procedure as a single bolus at the dose of 0.25 mg/kg. Control group was formed of 126 patients who underwent angioplasty without GP IIb-IIIa blockers. After framon administration there were no allergic reactions or major bleedings, deep thrombocytopenia (< 50000/microl) developed in 1 patient (< 1%), and antibodies against framon were detected in less than 5% of patients. Number of unfavorable outcomes (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, angina recurrence) within 1 month after CA was 3 times higher in control group than in the group of patients treated with framon (11.4% and 3.3%, respectively, p = 0.018). The effect of framon was most strongly pronounced within the first day after procedure -- administration of the drug reduced number of acute thromboses from 6.5% to 0.7% (p = 0.013). Significant differences between numbers of end points was still preserved at 6 months after procedure (25.7 and 14.2% in control and framon groups, respectively, p = 0.023). The data obtained proved safety and clinical efficacy of framon administration in coronary angioplasty with high risk of thrombotic complications.