In this New York State registry study, outcomes of patients with multivessel coronary disease treated with drug-eluting coronary stents or coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) were compared during 18 months of follow-up. The rates of death, death or myocardial infarction, and repeat revascularization were consistently lower after CABG than after treatment with drug-eluting stents.

In patients in a large registry who received coronary stents for off-label indications, there was no difference in mortality or rates of myocardial infarction at 1 year between those receiving bare-metal stents and those receiving drug-eluting stents. In the group receiving drug-eluting stents, there was a reduced need for revascularization.

Five patients with end-stage renal disease received bone marrow and kidney transplants from HLA-mismatched living related donors. Transient hematopoietic chimerism developed in all five. In one patient, irreversible humoral rejection occurred. In the other four recipients, immunosuppressive therapy was discontinued after 9 to 14 months and renal function has subsequently remained stable.

A patient received a kidney graft from his HLA-identical brother, followed by an infusion of CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells from the same donor. An apparent state of immunologic tolerance to the kidney allograft developed, allowing withdrawal of all immunosuppressive therapy within 6 months.

Complete hematopoietic chimerism and tolerance to a liver allograft developed in a 9-year-old girl who received a liver transplant from a deceased male donor. Tolerance was preceded by a period of severe hemolysis, reflecting partial chimerism that was refractory to standard therapies. The hemolysis resolved after the gradual withdrawal of all immunosuppressive therapy.