Comparative trial of oral clotrimazole and nystatin for oropharyngeal candidiasis prophylaxis in orthotopic liver transplant patients

A prospective randomized study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of clotrimazole troches and nystatin suspension to prevent oral candidiasis in immunosuppressed orthotopic liver transplant patients. Thirty-four patients received either clotrimazole troches, 10 mg, five times daily, or nystatin suspension, 500,000 units, four times daily. Prophylaxis was initiated after extubation after transplantation and continued throughout the hospitalization. One of 17 patients in each treatment group developed clinical and microscopic evidence of an oropharyngealCandida infection. This gave an intragroup and an overall infection rate of 5.9%. It appears that either nystatin or clotrimazole may be used for candidiasis prophylaxis in orthotopic liver transplant patients.