The impact of COVID-19 on kidney transplantation and the kidney transplant recipient - One year into the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the landscape of kidney transplantation in the United States and worldwide. In addition to adversely impacting allograft and patient survival in postkidney transplant recipients, the current pandemic has affected all aspects of transplant care, including transplant referrals and listing, organ donation rates, organ procurement and shipping, and waitlist mortality. Critical decisions were made during this period by transplant centers and individual transplant physicians taking into consideration patient safety and resource utilization. As countries have begun administering the COVID vaccines, new and important considerations pertinent to our transplant population have arisen. This comprehensive review focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on kidney transplantation rates, mortality, policy decisions, and the clinical management of transplanted patients infected with COVID-19.

High rate of renal recovery in survivors of COVID-19 associated acute renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy.

INTRODUCTION: A large proportion of patients with COVID-19 develop acute kidney injury (AKI). While the most severe of these cases require renal replacement therapy (RRT), little is known about their clinical course. METHODS: We describe the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients in the ICU with AKI requiring RRT at an academic medical center in New York City and followed patients for outcomes of death and renal recovery using time-to-event analyses. RESULTS: Our cohort of 115 patients represented 23% of all ICU admissions at our center, with a peak prevalence of 29%. Patients were followed for a median of 29 days (2542 total patient-RRT-days; median 54 days for survivors). Mechanical ventilation and vasopressor use were common (99% and 84%, respectively), and the median Sequential Organ Function Assessment (SOFA) score was 14. By the end of follow-up 51% died, 41% recovered kidney function (84% of survivors), and 8% still needed RRT (survival probability at 60 days: 0.46 [95% CI: 0.36-0.56])). In an adjusted Cox model, coronary artery disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were associated with increased mortality (HRs: 3.99 [95% CI 1.46-10.90] and 3.10 [95% CI 1.25-7.66]) as were angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (HR 2.33 [95% CI 1.21-4.47]) and a SOFA score >15 (HR 3.46 [95% CI 1.65-7.25). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Our analysis demonstrates the high prevalence of AKI requiring RRT among critically ill patients with COVID-19 and is associated with a high mortality, however, the rate of renal recovery is high among survivors and should inform shared-decision making.

Hepatic pathology in patients dying of COVID-19: a series of 40 cases including clinical, histologic, and virologic data.

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus disease 19, or COVID-19) primarily causes pulmonary injury, but has been implicated to cause hepatic injury, both by serum markers and histologic evaluation. The histologic pattern of injury has not been completely described. Studies quantifying viral load in the liver are lacking. Here we report the clinical and histologic findings related to the liver in 40 patients who died of complications of COVID-19. A subset of liver tissue blocks were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for viral ribonucleic acid (RNA). Peak levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were elevated; median ALT peak 68 U/l (normal up to 46 U/l) and median AST peak 102 U/l (normal up to 37 U/l). Macrovesicular steatosis was the most common finding, involving 30 patients (75%). Mild lobular necroinflammation and portal inflammation were present in 20 cases each (50%). Vascular pathology, including sinusoidal microthrombi, was infrequent, seen in six cases (15%). PCR of liver tissue was positive in 11 of 20 patients tested (55%). In conclusion, we found patients dying of COVID-19 had biochemical evidence of hepatitis (of variable severity) and demonstrated histologic findings of macrovesicular steatosis and mild acute hepatitis (lobular necroinflammation) and mild portal inflammation. We also identified viral RNA in a sizeable subset of liver tissue samples.

Postmortem Kidney Pathology Findings in Patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: AKI is common among hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is an independent risk factor for mortality. Although there are numerous potential mechanisms underlying COVID-19-associated AKI, our current knowledge of kidney pathologic findings in COVID-19 is limited. METHODS: We examined the postmortem kidneys from 42 patients who died of COVID-19. We reviewed light microscopy findings in all autopsies and performed immunofluorescence, electron microscopy, and in situ hybridization studies for SARS-CoV-2 on a subset of samples. RESULTS: The cohort had a median age of 71.5 years (range, 38-97 years); 69% were men, 57% were Hispanic, and 73% had a history of hypertension. Among patients with available data, AKI developed in 31 of 33 patients (94%), including 6 with AKI stage 1, 9 with stage 2, and 16 with stage 3. The predominant finding correlating with AKI was acute tubular injury. However, the degree of acute tubular injury was often less severe than predicted for the degree of AKI, suggesting a role for hemodynamic factors, such as aggressive fluid management. Background changes of hypertensive arterionephrosclerosis and diabetic glomerulosclerosis were frequent but typically mild. We identified focal kidney fibrin thrombi in 6 of 42 (14%) autopsies. A single Black patient had collapsing FSGS. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy were largely unrevealing, and in situ hybridization for SARS-CoV-2 showed no definitive positivity. CONCLUSIONS: Among a cohort of 42 patients dying with COVID-19, autopsy histologic evaluation revealed acute tubular injury, which was typically mild relative to the degree of creatinine elevation. These findings suggest potential for reversibility upon resolution of SARS-CoV-2 infection.