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Moderate acceptance of COVID‐19 vaccination in patients pre‐ and post‐heart transplantation: Experiences from a German Transplant Centre
Author(s) -
Oehler Daniel,
Bruno Raphael Romano,
Boeken Udo,
Westenfeld Ralf
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
transplant infectious disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.69
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1399-3062
pISSN - 1398-2273
DOI - 10.1111/tid.13681
Subject(s) - medicine , vaccination , immunosuppression , heart transplantation , cohort , covid-19 , transplantation , population , ventricular assist device , cohort study , intensive care medicine , disease , emergency medicine , heart failure , immunology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , environmental health
and objectives Patients awaiting heart transplantation (HTx) are at increased risk developing severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Patients supported by a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) face additional risks due to coagulopathies during COVID‐19. Following HTx, elevated risk factors for severe COVID‐19 persist due to chronic immunosuppression and frequent comorbidities. Taken together, COVID‐19 vaccination is of critical importance in all three patient cohorts. Here, we report our experience to deliver COVID‐19 vaccination in a German transplant center. Methods and results We screened 211 patients for contraindications and offered the remaining 186 eligible patients COVID‐19 vaccination. Of those, 133 patients (71%) accepted the offer and were vaccinated. Acceptance of vaccination differed between HTx recipients (84 of 113, 74%), patients on the waiting list (34 of 47, 72%), and patients with LVAD support (28 of 50, 56%). The LVAD cohort demonstrated lower acceptance levels for vaccination compared to HTx recipients and patients awaiting HTx (74% vs. 56%; p = 0.028). Conclusion We demonstrate for the first time only moderate acceptance levels of COVID‐19 vaccination in HTx recipients and candidates on the waiting list compared to general population, despite perceived high‐risk for severe disease. Additionally, those supported by LVAD have even lower adherence. Efforts may need to be made to increase acceptance in this vulnerable as well as cost‐intensive patient cohort.