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Renal transplantation during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic in the UK: Experience from a large‐volume center
Author(s) -
Georgiades Fanourios,
Summers Dominic M.,
Butler Andrew J.,
Russell Neil K. I.,
Clatworthy Menna R.,
Torpey Nicholas
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
clinical transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.918
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1399-0012
pISSN - 0902-0063
DOI - 10.1111/ctr.14150
Subject(s) - medicine , pandemic , immunosuppression , transplantation , kidney transplantation , organ donation , donation , covid-19 , intensive care medicine , emergency medicine , infectious disease (medical specialty) , disease , economics , economic growth
There is uncertainty about the safety of kidney transplantation during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic due to the risk of donor transmission, nosocomial infection and immunosuppression use. We describe organ donation and transplant practice in the UK and assess whether kidney transplantation conferred a substantial risk of harm. Data from the UK transplant registry were used to describe kidney donation and transplant activity in the UK, and a detailed analysis of short‐term, single‐center, patient results in two periods: during the pre‐pandemic era from 30th December 2019 to 8th March 2020 (“Pre‐COVID era”) and the 9th March 2020 to 19th May 2020 (“COVID era”). Donor and recipient numbers fell by more than half in the COVID compared to the pre‐COVID era in the UK, but there were more kidney transplants performed in our center (42 vs. 29 COVID vs. pre‐COVID respectively). Overall outcomes, including re‐operation, delayed graft function, primary non‐function, acute rejection, length of stay and graft survival were similar between COVID and pre‐COVID era. 6/71 patients became infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 but all were discharged without critical care requirement. Transplant outcomes have remained similar within the COVID period and no serious sequelae of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection were observed in the peri‐transplant period.