Organ donation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Am J Transplant
; 20(11): 3081-3088, 2020 11.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-641124
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a rapidly changing circumstance with dramatic policy changes and universal efforts to deal with the initial crisis and minimize its consequences. To identify changes to organ donation and transplantation during this time, an anonymous web-based survey was distributed to 19 select organ procurement organizations (OPOs) throughout the United States comparing 90-day activity during March-May 2020 and March-May 2019. Seventeen OPOs responded to the survey (response rate of 89.5%). Organ authorization decreased by 11% during the current pandemic (n = 1379 vs n = 1552, P = .0001). Organ recovery for transplantation fell by 17% (P = .0001) with a further 18% decrease in the number of organs transplanted (P = .0001). Donor cause of death demonstrated a 4.5% decline in trauma but a 35% increase in substance abuse cases during the COVID-19 period. All OPOs reported significant modifications in response to the pandemic, limiting the onsite presence of staff and transitioning to telephonic approaches for donor family correspondence. Organ donation during the current climate has seen significant changes and the long-term implications of such shifts remain unclear. These trends during the COVID-19 era warrant further investigation to address unmet needs, plan for a proportionate response to the virus and mitigate the collateral impact.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Tissue Donors
/
Tissue and Organ Procurement
/
Organ Transplantation
/
Pandemics
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
North America
/
Caribbean
/
Puerto Rico
Language:
English
Journal:
Am J Transplant
Journal subject:
Transplantation
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Ajt.16199
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS