COVID-19 potential donor derived transmission events investigations: Early dtac experience

ABSTRACT

Purpose: US Solid organ transplantation rates significantly decreased during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The concern for potential donor derived COVID-19 was one of many contributing factors. We describe the early experience of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Disease Transmission Advisory Committee (DTAC) Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) investigations. Methods: COVID-19 cases reported to DTAC between January 2020 and October 2020 as potential donor-derived transmission events (PPDTE) were included. All of the events were investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and adjudicated by the DTAC based on consensus definitions. Results: Eighteen PDTE COVID-19 events were reported during the study period. 12 PDTE reports have completed DTAC adjudication (Table 1). These included 12 donors with 44 recipients. Ten investigations were initiated by the transplant center due to recipient testing (36 total recipients). The median time to presentation in these index cases was 11 days (IQR 7-16). Nine donors in these events (35 recipients) had a prospective or retrospective pre-recovery negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR result. In all of these events, the index recipient had either a possible or confirmed community or hospital exposure. In one recipient index case (5 total recipients), the positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR result post-transplant was ultimately deemed a false positive and considered not a case by the committee. Two investigations were initiated by an OPO (8 recipients). In both events, the OPO performed SARS-CoV-2 PCR was negative, but a post-procurement nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 PCR performed by the tissue collector was reported as positive and retrospectively deemed false positives. None of these recipients developed COVID-19;the events were adjudicated as not cases. Conclusions: The initial DTAC experience reflecting the early pandemic era emphasizes the need to implement hospital prevention measures to avoid nosocomial transmission, provide patient education to avoid community exposure and to recognize the possibility of post-procurement SARS-CoV-2 false positive testing. Vigilance for the possibility of a SARS-CoV-2 donor derived event remains important as the pandemic continues. (Table Presented) .