Open AccessManagement of an Organ Donation Process in COVID-19 Pandemic: First Case of Turkey
Author(s) -
Mehmet Nuri Yakar,
Pakize İstan,
Mehmet Çağatay Gürkök,
Diren Yıldız,
Erdem Yaka,
Ali Necati Gökmen
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
turkish journal of anaesthesiology and reanimation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.322
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 2667-677X
pISSN - 2667-6370
DOI - 10.5152/tjar.2020.607
Subject(s) - pandemic , medicine , covid-19 , pneumonia , organ donation , disease , intensive care medicine , donation , transplantation , pcr test , personal protective equipment , infectious disease (medical specialty) , polymerase chain reaction , biology , biochemistry , gene , economics , economic growth
The first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was defined as unexplained pneumonia on December 8, 2019, and then it rapidly caused a pandemic and affected transplantation rates negatively. Organ donation processes got more complex because the exclusion of the disease in a short period became more difficult than normal. The exclusion of the disease is vital not only for recipients but also for the medical staff, transplantation teams, and intensive care professionals to reduce the transmission risk. The main steps for diagnosis of COVID-19 are investigation of symptoms, recollection of travel and physical contact history, and testing using the real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. Although it has limitations such as false negative results, RT-PCR is the most accurate method to detect COVID-19, and it is mandatory before donation processes in many countries. In this case report, we aim to share our experience about the first organ donation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.