A Controlled Trial of Ganciclovir to Prevent Cytomegalovirus Disease after Heart Transplantation

MANY heart-transplant recipients become infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) with substantial short-term complications, 1 including both systemic and focal CMV illness in the first months after transplantation as well as increased susceptibility to other opportunistic infections during the first year. 2 CMV gastrointestinal disease and pneumonia are the most important short-term sequelae of CMV infection in heart-transplant recipients. 1 CMV infections have also been associated with a higher incidence of coronary artery disease in the years after transplantation. 3 Ganciclovir treatment produces improvement in the manifestations of disease due to CMV in this and other populations. 4 In addition, ganciclovir was recently found to be useful . . .