The patient, a 56-year-old man with chronic renal failure (CRF) who had been receiving hemodialysis 3times a week, developed aplastic anemia. He was treated with antithymocyte globulin (ATG), which was administered on the days when he was not scheduled for hemodialysis. No specific adverse reaction in his renal functions was noted that could be attributed to ATG. Thrombocytopenia persisted despite frequent platelet transfusions, thus indicating refractoriness to this therapeutic modality. The patient died on Day 43 due to complications before the effect of ATG became apparent. As a result, the efficacy of ATG therapy for aplastic anemia could not be evaluated in this patient. However, the results of this therapy suggested that ATG could be safely administered even to patients receiving hemodialysis for CRF.
