Drugs for the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy

Shuchita Gupta MD

Abstract

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) of heart transplants is responsible for up to one-third of deaths at 5 years following cardiac transplantation. Risk factors for CAV include both traditional risk factors and immune factors. Drugs used for prevention and treatment of CAV include statins, calcium channel blockers and immunosuppressive agents. This review discusses the currently available drugs for CAV, the evidence behind their use, and future targets of therapy.