Overview
We partner with our solid organ (face, heart, lung, liver, kidney, intestine, multivisceral, pancreas and uterus) and our stem cell transplant programs to prevent infection and to facilitate access to infectious diseases care for these at-risk patients.
Why are transplant recipients at particular risk for infections?
Transplant recipients are at increased risk for infections due to use of anti-rejection medications that impair the immune response. Microbes that our body controls quite easily before transplantation can cause serious infection after transplantation. Depending on the transplant type, 10-75% of transplant recipients can expect some kind of infection in the first year after transplantation.
How can we prevent infection following transplantation?
We provide vaccinations, anti-microbial medications and educational strategies to prevent infections after transplant. Some serious infections are acquired during daily activities, including gardening and spending time with young children. Learning how to live safely after transplantation is important to the success of transplantation.
How can we treat infections following transplantation?
We aim to recognize early signs of infection and treat expeditiously. Once recognized we use a variety of modalities to treat infection, including antibiotics, immunologic tools, and surgical/interventional radiologic techniques.
What We Treat
Specializing in the following services:
- Pre-transplant evaluations for our solid organ transplant candidates
- Vaccinations
- Solid organ transplant candidates require the usual adult vaccinations but also those recommended by the American Society of Transplantation
- Assess for specific infection risk that may affect transplant success
- Some patients harbor latent organisms that only cause infection after transplantation
- Infection diagnosis and treatments following stem cell and solid organ transplantation
- Re-vaccination following stem cell transplantation
- Stem cell transplant recipients require “childhood” types of vaccines after transplantation. This series of vaccinations is usually started after the immune response is strong enough to respond, usually 6 months after transplantation.
Conditions we treat:
- Cytomegalovirus
- Fungal infections
- Influenza and other respiratory viral infections
- Transplantation of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus
- Infections with multi-drug resistant organisms
- Mycobacterial infections
- Certain parasitic infections
- Donor derived infections
Our Team
- Christine Koval, MD, Team Leader
- Jona Banzon
- Kyle Brizendine, MD
- Eric Cober, MD
- Christopher Kovacs, MD
- Jessica Lum, MD
- Aneela Majeed, MD
- Steve Mawhorter, MD
- Cyndee Miranda, MD
- Sherif Mossad, MD
- Pavithra Srinivas, PharmD
Appointments & Locations
Referrals
Transplant infectious disease specialists welcome consults from physicians in the community who are treating transplant patients and who want to discuss complex infectious disease issues.
Please call 216.444.8845 to refer patients who are being considered for transplantation or patients who are post-transplant.
Location
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
9500 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, Ohio 44195
