Late calcineurin inhibitor withdrawal prevents progressive left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in renal transplant recipients

Calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-based therapy is associated with adverse cardiovascular effects. We examined the effects of late CNI or mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) withdrawal on echocardiographic parameters.

This study was conducted as a substudy of a randomized trial in stable renal transplant recipients who were on a triple CNI-based regimen with prednisone and MMF that evaluated late concentration-controlled withdrawal of CNI or MMF on renal function. A total of 108 patients (age, 52.3±11.5 years; 67% male; at a median of 2.0 years post-transplantation, (interquartile range 1.3-3.3 years); estimated glomerular filtration rate, 57±16 mL/min/1.73 m; 66% on cyclosporine and 34% on tacrolimus) entered the cardiovascular substudy examining echocardiographic parameters at baseline and 2 years after randomization. In all patients, traditional cardiovascular risk factors were treated according to predefined targets.

Late CNI withdrawal prevented progressive development of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, as assessed by markers of LV diastolic function (mitral deceleration time and mitral annular e' velocity). Conversely, in the MMF-withdrawal group, the left atrial volume index (an indicator of chronic LV diastolic dysfunction) was significantly increased at 2 years (from 24.1±6.7 to 27.0±7.0 mL/m, P<0.05). In addition, CNI withdrawal resulted in a higher proportion of patients achieving the predefined blood pressure targets (<130/85 mm Hg: 41.5% vs. 12.7%, P=0.001) at 2 years while requiring less antihypertensive drugs. Changes in the left atrial volume index were significantly associated with treatment arm (P=0.03) and changes in systolic (P=0.005) and diastolic (P=0.005) blood pressure.

Late CNI withdrawal, from a triple-drug regimen in stable renal transplant recipients, prevented progressive deterioration of LV diastolic function and facilitated better blood pressure control.