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World J Transplant. Mar 24, 2016; 6(1): 193-198
Published online Mar 24, 2016. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v6.i1.193
Pentamidine in Pneumocystis jirovecii prophylaxis in heart transplant recipients
Adem Ilkay Diken, Ozlem Erçen Diken, Onur Hanedan, Seyhan Yılmaz, Ata Niyazi Ecevit, Emir Erol, Adnan Yalçınkaya
Adem Ilkay Diken, Seyhan Yılmaz, Emir Erol, Adnan Yalçınkaya, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hitit University Faculty of Medicine, 19100 Corum, Turkey
Ozlem Erçen Diken, Department of Chest Diseases, Hitit University Faculty of Medicine, 19100 Corum, Turkey
Onur Hanedan, Ata Niyazi Ecevit, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Hospital, 06100 Ankara, Turkey
Author contributions: All authors equally contributed to this paper with conception and design of the study, literature review and analysis, drafting and critical revision and editing, and final approval of the final version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Any author has conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Adem Ilkay Diken, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hitit University Faculty of Medicine, Camlik Caddesi No: 2, Bahcelievler Mahallesi, 19100 Corum, Turkey. ademilkay@gmail.com
Telephone: +90-530-6873315
Received: July 22, 2015
Peer-review started: August 6, 2015
First decision: October 13, 2015
Revised: October 21, 2015
Accepted: December 7, 2015
Article in press: December 8, 2015
Published online: March 24, 2016
Core Tip

Core tip: Trimethoprim/sulfomethoxazole (TMP/SMX), the first-line drug for pneumocystis pneumonia prophylaxis following heart transplantation, is well tolerated, however; serious side effects have also been reported during its use. Pentamidine is an alternative prophylaxis agent when TMP/SMX cannot be tolerated following solid organ transplantations. Although there are various studies evaluating the efficiency and safety of pentamidine in these groups, merely reports were found about its usage in heart transplantation recipients. This review aims to evaluate the use of pentamidine against Pneumocystis jirovecii following heart transplantation.