The immunosuppressive protocol has been previously described
(11–16). Briefly, patients who received transplants before February
1990 received tacrolimus at 0.15 mg/kg/day intravenously as a 2–4
hr infusion. From February 1990 onward, the dose was reduced to
0.1 mg/kg/day, and, after August 1991, it was further reduced to 0.05
mg/kg/day. The first 53 patients received 1 g of methylprednisolone
with a total of 600 mg of methylprednisolone tapered over the next 5
days. The remaining of patients received 20 mg of methylprednisolone
per day immediately after LTx