[Value of preventive immunoglobulin administration in cadaveric kidney transplantation]

Transplant recipients have a high risk of infection, especially during the early postoperative period, due to impaired immune responsiveness. In a prospective randomized trial comprising 50 consecutive renal allograft recipients, a study was undertaken of the impact of prophylactic administration of immunoglobulins (Intragam) on the rate of infection. Similar numbers of infections were observed in both groups. They predominantly affected the lungs or the lower urinary tract. An unexpected result revealed by the study was that only 17 out of 25 patients of the immunoglobulin group, in comparison with 22 out of 25 of the control group were discharged with a functioning graft. It thus appears that the prophylactic administration of immunoglobulins to asymptomatic allograft recipients is not only useless, but probably also dangerous.