1
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Nadziakiewicz P, Wajda-Pokrontka M, Przybyłowski P. Post-COVID-19 Era In Heart Transplantation and Its Impact on the Early Postoperative Period After Surgery. Transplant Proc 2024:S0041-1345(24)00191-X. [PMID: 38777713 DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2024.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND End-stage heart failure patients were at increased risk for acquiring COVID-19 infection and progression to severe disease, given multiple health care contacts and underlying health conditions. Understanding the outcomes of such patients will help risk-stratify and guide optimization before heart transplant surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on heart transplantation activity and outcomes in the early postoperative period. METHODS Retrospective data analysis of patients undergoing orthotopic heart transplantation in our institution from March 2020 to July 2023. The patient population (N = 208) included 176 (84.6%) men and 32 (15.4%) women. The perioperative data of the pandemic group, March 2020 to February 2022 (N = 151), and the post-pandemic group, March 2022 to July 2023 (N = 57), were compared. RESULTS The number of patients requiring inotropic support increased during the post-COVID-19 era (N = 48 [84.2%], vs N = 72 [47.7%], P < .001). There were no differences in renal complications. Duration of mechanical ventilation was longer in the post-pandemic group (19 hours [14-24] vs 14 hours [9-28], P < .05). CONCLUSIONS The extended duration of mechanical ventilation in the post-pandemic group may be related to the patient's preoperative condition. The number of heart transplant recipients with end-stage heart failure requiring inotropic support increased in the post-COVID-19 era. Although some efforts have been made to reduce the impact of the pandemic, more research is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Nadziakiewicz
- Department of Cardiac Anesthesia and Intensive Therapy, Silesian Centre for Heart Diseases, Medical University of Silesia, Zabrze, Poland.
| | - Marta Wajda-Pokrontka
- Department of Cardiac Anesthesia and Intensive Therapy, Silesian Centre for Heart Diseases, Medical University of Silesia, Zabrze, Poland
| | - Piotr Przybyłowski
- Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Transplantology, Silesian Center for Heart Diseases in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
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2
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Tedeschi A. SARS-CoV2 infections in heart transplant recipients: Vaccines still are our greatest weapon. IJC HEART & VASCULATURE 2024; 51:101379. [PMID: 38628295 PMCID: PMC11018635 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcha.2024.101379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Tedeschi
- Corresponding author at: Cardiology Department, Guglielmo da Saliceto Hospital, Piacenza, Italy.
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3
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A Salim A, Alghamdi A, Hussain A, Arifi A, Bosaeed M, Hajeer A, Selimovic N. Case Report: COVID-19 Infection of a Transplanted Heart Simulating Cellular Rejection. Transplant Proc 2023; 55:1853-1857. [PMID: 37137765 PMCID: PMC10076511 DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2023.03.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
Contemporary reports showed that solid organ transplantation patients who contract SARS-CoV-2 infection have a high mortality rate. There are sparse data about recurrent cellular rejections and the immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in patients after heart transplantation. Herein, we report a case of a 61-year-old male post-heart transplant patient who tested positive for COVID-19 and developed mild symptoms 4 months after transplantation. Thereafter, a series of endomyocardial biopsies showed histologic features of acute cellular rejection despite optimal immunosuppression, good cardiac functions, and hemodynamic stability. Demonstration of SARS-CoV-2 viral particles by electron microscopy in the endomyocardial biopsy confirmed the presence of the virus in the foci of the cellular rejection, pointing to a possible immunologic reaction to the virus. To our knowledge, there is limited information regarding the pathology of COVID-19 infection in immunocompromised heart transplant patients, and there are no well-established guidelines for treating such patients. Based on the demonstration of SARS-CoV-2 viral particles within the myocardium, we concluded that myocardial inflammation visible on endomyocardial biopsy might be attributed to the host's immune response to the virus, which mimics acute cellular rejection in newly heart transplanted patients. We report this case to increase awareness of such events post-transplantation and to add to knowledge regarding the management of patients with ongoing SARS-CoV-2 infection that proved to be challenging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaa A Salim
- King Abdulaziz Cardiac Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Abdullah Alghamdi
- King Abdulaziz Cardiac Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Arif Hussain
- King Abdulaziz Cardiac Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed Arifi
- King Abdulaziz Cardiac Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammad Bosaeed
- King Abdulaziz Cardiac Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Hajeer
- King Abdulaziz Cardiac Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nedim Selimovic
- King Abdulaziz Cardiac Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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4
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Chavarin DJ, Bobba A, Davis MG, Roth MA, Kasdorf M, Nasrullah A, Chourasia P, Gangu K, Avula SR, Sheikh AB. Comparative Analysis of Clinical Outcomes for COVID-19 and Influenza among Cardiac Transplant Recipients in the United States. Viruses 2023; 15:1700. [PMID: 37632042 PMCID: PMC10458639 DOI: 10.3390/v15081700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 infections can lead to worse outcomes in an immunocompromised population with multiple comorbidities, e.g., heart transplant patients. We used the National Inpatient Sample database to compare heart transplant outcomes in patients with COVID-19 vs. influenza. A total of 2460 patients were included in this study: heart transplant with COVID-19 (n = 1155, 47.0%) and heart transplant with influenza (n = 1305, 53.0%) with the primary outcome of in-hospital mortality. In-hospital mortality (n = 120) was significantly higher for heart transplant patients infected with COVID-19 compared to those infected with influenza (9.5% vs. 0.8%, adjusted OR: 51.6 [95% CI 4.3-615.9], p = 0.002) along with significantly higher rates of mechanical ventilation, acute heart failure, ventricular arrhythmias, and higher mean total hospitalization cost compared to the influenza group. More studies are needed on the role of vaccination and treatment to improve outcomes in this vulnerable population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Chavarin
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA
| | - Aniesh Bobba
- Department of Medicine, John H Stronger Hospital, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
| | - Monique G. Davis
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA
| | - Margaret A. Roth
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA
| | | | - Adeel Nasrullah
- Division of Pulmonology and Critical Care, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, USA
| | - Prabal Chourasia
- Department of Hospital Medicine, Mary Washington Hospital, Fredericksburg, VA 22401, USA
| | - Karthik Gangu
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA;
| | - Sindhu Reddy Avula
- Department of Interventional Cardiology, Division of Cardiology, University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS 66606, USA;
| | - Abu Baker Sheikh
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA
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5
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Giovannico L, Ramirez AD, Parigino D, Fischetti G, Losito C, Lenoci S, Fiore G, Civita A, Bavaro DF, Saracino A, Grasso S, Bottio T, Milano AD. Heart transplant in a Sars-CoV-2 positive recipient: Management protocol of the world's first case. Clin Transplant 2023; 37:e15045. [PMID: 37306944 DOI: 10.1111/ctr.15045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The advent of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in China at the end of 2019 has developed into a global outbreak, and COVID- 19 is an ongoing major public health issue. During the pandemic, transplant programs had to devise strategies to deal with the possibility of COVID-19-positive donors and recipients. We describe the case of a heart transplant recipient who tested positive with the SARS- CoV2 swab upon admission to our Unit of Cardiac Surgery when a suitable donor became available. Given his clinical status of end-stage heart failure and the absence of imaging and clinical signs suggestive of COVID-19, and his having been vaccinated with three doses, we decided to proceed with the transplant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Giovannico
- Cardiac Surgery Unit, University of Bari Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari, Italy
| | | | - Domenico Parigino
- Cardiac Surgery Unit, University of Bari Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Fischetti
- Cardiac Surgery Unit, University of Bari Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari, Italy
| | - Concetta Losito
- Cardiac Surgery Unit, University of Bari Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari, Italy
| | - Sergio Lenoci
- Intensive Care Unit Dipartimento di Medicina di Precisione e Rigenerativa e Area Jonica - (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Fiore
- Intensive Care Unit Dipartimento di Medicina di Precisione e Rigenerativa e Area Jonica - (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari, Italy
| | - Antonio Civita
- Intensive Care Unit Dipartimento di Medicina di Precisione e Rigenerativa e Area Jonica - (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari, Italy
| | - Davide F Bavaro
- Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University of Bari Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari, Italy
| | - Annalisa Saracino
- Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University of Bari Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari, Italy
| | - Salvatore Grasso
- Intensive Care Unit Dipartimento di Medicina di Precisione e Rigenerativa e Area Jonica - (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari, Italy
| | - Tomaso Bottio
- Cardiac Surgery Unit, University of Bari Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari, Italy
| | - Aldo Domenico Milano
- Cardiac Surgery Unit, University of Bari Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari, Italy
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6
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Kahraman Ü, Akyol D, Çiçek C, Balcıoğlu Ö, Engin Ç, Yağdı T, Taşbakan M, Özbaran M. Retrospective Evaluation of COVID-19 Infection and COVID-19 Vaccines in Heart Transplant Patients. Transplant Proc 2023:S0041-1345(23)00312-3. [PMID: 37271605 DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2023.04.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients who have performed solid organ transplantation in terms of COVID-19 infection are included in the high-risk group. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the relationship between vaccination and retrospective evaluation of 32 patients who underwent a heart transplant in the clinic and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction. METHODS In this study, demographic characteristics of the cases, comorbidities, timing of heart transplantation, immunosuppressive treatments, symptoms of COVID-19 infection, lung imaging findings, follow-up (outpatient/inpatient), treatments, 1-month mortality, and vaccination histories against COVID-19 infection were evaluated. The data obtained from the study were analyzed with SPSS version 25.0. RESULTS The 3 most common symptoms are cough (37.5%), myalgia (28.1%), and fever (21.8%). COVID-19 infection was severe in 6.2% of the patients, moderate in 37.5%, and mild in 56.2%. Hospitalization was required in 5 patients (15.6%, 1 in the intensive care unit), and the other patients were followed up as an outpatient. Severe COVID-19 infection was seen more in 33% of unvaccinated patients; 93.5% were vaccinated. Nineteen patients (68%) were vaccinated before COVID-19 infection. Our patients received the CoronoVac (Sinovac, China) vaccine. CONCLUSION COVID-19 infection is more likely to be severe and mortal in patients with heart transplant recipients. It is also crucial to comply with preventive measures other than immunization in this group of patients. This study is the largest series investigating COVID-19 infection in heart transplant recipient patients in our country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ümit Kahraman
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
| | - Deniz Akyol
- Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Kağızman State Hospital, Kars, Turkey
| | - Candan Çiçek
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Özlem Balcıoğlu
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Near East University Faculty of Medicine, Nicosia, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
| | - Çağatay Engin
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Tahir Yağdı
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Meltem Taşbakan
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Mustafa Özbaran
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey
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7
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Greenberg D, Li B, Okumura K, Nabors C, Dhand A. Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Heart Transplantation: Single-Center Experience and Review of the Literature. Cardiol Rev 2023; 31:168-172. [PMID: 35679025 DOI: 10.1097/crd.0000000000000464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic in March 2020, and since then it has had a significant impact on healthcare including on solid organ transplantation. Based on age, immunosuppression, and prevalence of chronic comorbidities, heart transplant recipients are at high risk of adverse outcomes associated with COVID-19. In our center, 31 heart transplant recipients were diagnosed with COVID-19 from March 2020 to September 2021. They required: hospitalization (39%), intensive care (10%), and mechanical ventilation (6%) with overall short-term mortality of 3%. Early outpatient use of anti-SARS CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies in our heart transplant recipients was associated with a reduction in the risk of hospitalization, need for intensive care, and death related to COVID-19. In prior multicenter studies, completed in different geographic areas and pandemic timeframes, diverse rates of hospitalization (38-91%), mechanical ventilation (4-38%), and death (16-33%) have been reported. Progression of disease and adverse outcomes were most significantly associated with severity of lymphopenia, chronic comorbid conditions like older age, chronic allograft vasculopathy, increased body mass index, as well as intensity of baseline immune suppression. In this article, we also review the current roles and limitations of vaccination, anti-viral agents, and anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 monoclonal antibodies in the management of heart transplant recipients. Our single-center experience, considered together with other studies indicates a trend toward improved outcomes among heart transplant patients with COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Greenberg
- From the Department of Medicine, New York Medical College/Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY
| | - Bo Li
- From the Department of Medicine, New York Medical College/Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY
| | - Kenji Okumura
- Department of Surgery, New York Medical College/Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY
| | - Christopher Nabors
- From the Department of Medicine, New York Medical College/Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY
| | - Abhay Dhand
- From the Department of Medicine, New York Medical College/Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY
- Department of Surgery, New York Medical College/Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY
- Transplant Infectious Diseases, New York Medical College/Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY
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8
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Effect of a Fourth Dose of mRNA Vaccine and of Immunosuppression in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infections in Heart Transplant Patients. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11030755. [PMID: 36985328 PMCID: PMC10053932 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11030755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with heart transplantation (HT) have an increased risk of COVID-19 disease and the efficacy of vaccines on antibody induction is lower, even after three or four doses. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of four doses on infections and their interplay with immunosuppression. We included in this retrospective study all adult HT patients (12/21–11/22) without prior infection receiving a third or fourth dose of mRNA vaccine. The endpoints were infections and the combined incidence of ICU hospitalizations/death after the last dose (6-month survival rate). Among 268 patients, 62 had an infection, and 27.3% received four doses. Following multivariate analysis, three vs. four doses, mycophenolate (MMF) therapy, and HT < 5 years were associated with an increased risk of infection. MMF ≥ 2000 mg/day independently predicted infection, together with the other variables, and was associated with ICU hospitalization/death. Patients on MMF had lower levels of anti-RBD antibodies, and a positive antibody response after the third dose was associated with a lower probability of infection. In HT patients, a fourth dose of vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 reduces the risk of infection at six months. Mycophenolate, particularly at high doses, reduces the clinical effectiveness of the fourth dose and the antibody response to the vaccine.
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9
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Parikh NU, Dixit NM, Churchill AB, Oliveira-Kowaleski A, Lau RP, Fishbein GA, Hsu JJ. Accelerated Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy in an Orthotopic Heart Transplant Recipient with Prior COVID-19. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CASE REPORTS 2023; 24:e937955. [PMID: 36855283 PMCID: PMC9986856 DOI: 10.12659/ajcr.937955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a post-orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) complication driven by intimal smooth muscle proliferation and immune hyperactivity to donor heart tissue. Accelerated CAV leads to allograft failure within 1 year after receiving a normal angiogram result. Viruses can contribute to CAV development, but CAV after SARS-CoV-2 infection has not been reported to date. CASE REPORT A 48-year-old man, 5 years after OHT for non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, was admitted to the Cardiac Care Unit with 3 days of abdominal pain, dyspnea, and palpitations. His medical history included hyperlipidemia and insulin-dependent diabetes. He was compliant with all medications. Two months prior, he had a mild COVID-19 case. An echocardiogram and coronary angiogram 6 and 9 months prior, respectively, were unremarkable. Right and left heart catheterization demonstrated increased filling pressures, a cardiac index of 1.7 L/ml/m², and diffuse vasculopathy most severe in the LAD artery. Flow could not be restored despite repeated ballooning and intra-catheter adenosine. Empiric ionotropic support, daily high-dose methylprednisolone, and plasmapheresis were started. A few days later, the patient had cardiac arrest requiring venoarterial extracorporeal membranous oxygenation. Given CAV's irreversibility, re-transplantation was considered, but the patient had an episode of large-volume hemoptysis and remained clinically unstable for transplant. The patient died while on palliative care. CONCLUSIONS Our patient developed accelerated CAV 2 months after having COVID-19. While CAV has known associations with certain viruses, its incidence after SARS-CoV-2 infection is unknown. Further research is needed to determine if prior SARS-CoV-2 infection is a risk factor for development of CAV in OHT recipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil U Parikh
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Neal M Dixit
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Austin B Churchill
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Andrea Oliveira-Kowaleski
- Department of Pathology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ryan P Lau
- Department of Pathology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Gregory A Fishbein
- Department of Pathology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jeffrey J Hsu
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Medicine, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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10
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Stawiarski K, Avery R, Strout S, Umapathi P. Risks of paxlovid in a heart transplant recipient. J Heart Lung Transplant 2023; 42:30-32. [PMID: 36344373 PMCID: PMC9452411 DOI: 10.1016/j.healun.2022.08.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The burden of morbidity and mortality from SARS-CoV-2 infection is especially significant in heart transplant patients who are at higher risk for poor outcomes owing to immunosuppression, blunted response to vaccination, and multiple comorbid conditions. Over the last 3 years the therapeutic landscape for COVID-19 has evolved and our drug armamentaria continues to expand. With these advancements comes a time of great hope to mitigate significant illness from SARS - CoV - 2 infection. However, as with many emerging frontiers, the administration of novel therapeutics to a complex patient population remains challenging. We present a patient case encountered at our institution that highlights the need for increased awareness of nuances while managing COVID-19 infection in a heart transplant recipient.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Priya Umapathi
- Reprint requests: Priya Umapathi, MD, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 601 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287
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11
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Memenga F, Kueppers ST, Borof K, Kirchhof P, Duengelhoef PM, Barten MJ, Lütgehetmann M, Berisha F, Fluschnik N, Becher PM, Kondziella C, Bernhardt AM, Reichenspurner H, Blankenberg S, Magnussen C, Rybczynski M. SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination-Induced Immunogenicity in Heart Transplant Recipients. Transpl Int 2023; 36:10883. [PMID: 36814697 PMCID: PMC9939437 DOI: 10.3389/ti.2023.10883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Among heart transplant (HT) recipients, a reduced immunological response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination has been reported. We aimed to assess the humoral and T-cell response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in HT recipients to understand determinants of immunogenicity. HT recipients were prospectively enrolled from January 2021 until March 2022. Anti-SARS-CoV-2-Spike IgG levels were quantified after two and three doses of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (BNT162b2, mRNA1273, or AZD1222). Spike-specific T-cell responses were assessed using flow cytometry. Ninety-one patients were included in the study (69% male, median age 55 years, median time from HT to first vaccination 6.1 years). Seroconversion rates were 34% after two and 63% after three doses. Older patient age (p = 0.003) and shorter time since HT (p = 0.001) were associated with lower antibody concentrations after three vaccinations. There were no associations between vaccine types or immunosuppressive regimens and humoral response, except for prednisolone, which was predictive of a reduced response after two (p = 0.001), but not after three doses (p = 0.434). A T-cell response was observed in 50% after two and in 74% after three doses. Despite three vaccine doses, a large proportion of HT recipients exhibits a reduced immune response. Additional strategies are desirable to improve vaccine immunogenicity in this vulnerable group of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Memenga
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Simon Thomas Kueppers
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Katrin Borof
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paulus Kirchhof
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Markus Johannes Barten
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marc Lütgehetmann
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg/Lübeck/Borstel/Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Filip Berisha
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nina Fluschnik
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Peter Moritz Becher
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Kondziella
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alexander M Bernhardt
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hermann Reichenspurner
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Blankenberg
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christina Magnussen
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Meike Rybczynski
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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12
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COVID-19 in orthotopic heart transplant recipients and association with donor specific antibodies. Transpl Immunol 2022; 75:101712. [PMID: 36100195 PMCID: PMC9464271 DOI: 10.1016/j.trim.2022.101712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
De novo donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) are associated with increased risk of antibody-mediated rejection and worse clinical outcomes after orthotopic heart transplant (OHT). No study has reported the production of DSAs after infection by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in an OHT population. In this retrospective study, we described coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence and clinical course in a large, contemporary OHT cohort. We showed that the case-fatality rate has significantly decreased since the early days of the pandemic, although remains higher than that of the general population. In addition, we found that 10% of OHT recipients developed de novo DSAs or experienced an increase in pre-existing DSAs after COVID-19, with the majority occurring in unvaccinated patients (15% vs 2%). Further studies are necessary to substantiate our findings in an external cohort.
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13
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Wu Q, Shen Y, Xie L, Zhang J, Qiu Z, Tang M, Chen L. Low acceptance rate of COVID-19 vaccination and reduced quality of life among heart transplant recipients during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Card Surg 2022; 37:4975-4981. [PMID: 36444896 PMCID: PMC9877912 DOI: 10.1111/jocs.17205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate the impact of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the quality of life (QoL) and status of COVID-19 vaccination in heart transplant recipients (HTRs). METHODS Patients who underwent allogeneic heart transplants between June 2006 and December 2019, who survived were selected from a follow-up registration form at our center. Data were collected using questionnaires in 2021, the QoL survey was conducted using the MOS 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and compared to the same time frame in 2019. The patients were divided into two groups: post-epidemic (A) and pre-epidemic (B) groups. We also recorded whether the participants had been vaccinated against COVID-19 (Beijing Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine). All the data obtained were analyzed. RESULTS There were 88 patients who participated in the study. Only 12 (13.6%) were vaccinated. In terms of SF-36 scale assessments, after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Group A scored lower in vitality [52.5(49.0, 58.0) vs. 75.0(69.0, 79.0), p < .001], social functioning [54.0(50.5, 58.0) vs. 74.0(67.5, 78.0), p < .001], role emotional [58.5(55.0, 62.0) vs. 67.0(63.0, 71.0), p < .001], and mental health [58.5(55.0, 62.0) vs. 76.0(72.0, 79.0), p < .001]. In Group A the mental component summary (MCS) significantly decreased [222.0(214.5, 230.0) vs. 289.0(277.5, 299.5), p < .001]. The PCS and MCS of HTRs who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 were significantly higher than those who had not [PCS: 283.5(280.0, 287.0) vs. 276.0(271.0, 279.0), p < .001; MCS: 245.0(141.5, 254.0) vs. 220.0(213.5, 226.5), p < .001]. CONCLUSION Low acceptance levels of COVID-19 vaccination were observed in the HTRs. The QoL of the HTRs decreased after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingsong Wu
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union HospitalFujian Medical UniversityFujianFuzhouP. R. China,Key Laboratory of Cardio‐Thoracic Surgery (Fujian Medical University)Fujian Province UniversityFuzhouFujianP. R. China,Fujian Provincial Special Reserve Talents LaboratoryFujianFuzhouP. R. China
| | - Yue Shen
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union HospitalFujian Medical UniversityFujianFuzhouP. R. China,Key Laboratory of Cardio‐Thoracic Surgery (Fujian Medical University)Fujian Province UniversityFuzhouFujianP. R. China,Fujian Provincial Special Reserve Talents LaboratoryFujianFuzhouP. R. China
| | - Linfeng Xie
- College of Clinical Medicine, Union HospitalFujian Medical UniversityFujianFuzhouP. R. China
| | - Jiaxin Zhang
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union HospitalFujian Medical UniversityFujianFuzhouP. R. China
| | - Zhihuang Qiu
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union HospitalFujian Medical UniversityFujianFuzhouP. R. China,Key Laboratory of Cardio‐Thoracic Surgery (Fujian Medical University)Fujian Province UniversityFuzhouFujianP. R. China,Fujian Provincial Special Reserve Talents LaboratoryFujianFuzhouP. R. China
| | - Mirong Tang
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union HospitalFujian Medical UniversityFujianFuzhouP. R. China
| | - Liangwan Chen
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union HospitalFujian Medical UniversityFujianFuzhouP. R. China,Key Laboratory of Cardio‐Thoracic Surgery (Fujian Medical University)Fujian Province UniversityFuzhouFujianP. R. China,Fujian Provincial Special Reserve Talents LaboratoryFujianFuzhouP. R. China
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14
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Kanaan CN, Iskandar JP, Gad MM, Kondoleon NP, Mirzai S, Hsich EM, Estep JD, Fares MA. Outcomes Associated With COVID-19 Hospitalization in Heart Transplantation Patients. Transplant Proc 2022; 54:2688-2691. [PMID: 35999107 PMCID: PMC9212532 DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2022.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heart transplantation (HT) recipients infected with COVID-19 may be at an increased risk of severe illness due to chronic immunosuppression. MATERIALS AND METHODS Adult HT patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at the Cleveland Clinic between March 2020 and March 2021 were included in this retrospective cohort analysis. Twenty-four HT cases were matched to 96 non-HT controls, similarly hospitalized with COVID-19, out of 11,481 patients based on different baseline characteristics. Primary outcome was all-cause mortality; secondary outcomes included mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit admission, vasopressor need, dialysis, pneumonia, and 90-day readmission. Subgroup analysis was performed based on the time from transplantation (within 1 year of transplantation and greater than 1 year since transplantation). RESULTS Both primary and secondary outcomes were not significant. Subgroup analysis did not show a significant difference in mortality (P = .355) or 30-day readmission (P = .841) between patients who were within 1 year of transplantation and remote transplantation beyond 1 year. Univariable analysis of immunosuppressant continuation, dose-reduction, or discontinuation did not significantly affect HT mortality. CONCLUSIONS Despite limited sample size, our results suggest that HT patients do not show worse outcomes after acquiring COVID-19, whether in the first year of transplantation or after a remote transplantation procedure. Future studies with multicenter data that incorporate the subsequent COVID-19 variants (eg, Delta and Omicron), the impact of long COVID-19, and assessing full vs reduced immunosuppression regimens would add insights to this patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mohamed M. Gad
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio
| | | | - Saeid Mirzai
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Eileen M. Hsich
- Kaufman Center for Heart Failure, Department of Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Jerry D. Estep
- Kaufman Center for Heart Failure, Department of Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Maan A. Fares
- Heart and Vascular Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio,Address correspondence to Maan A. Fares, MD, Heart and Vascular Institute, Cleveland Clinic, J2-4, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195. Tel: (216) 308-6880
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15
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George S, Cunningham LC, Nelson DP, Horstmanshof DA, Long JW, El Banayosy AM. Outcomes of COVID-19 in heart failure, LVAD, and heart transplant patients in an advanced heart failure practice. AMERICAN HEART JOURNAL PLUS: CARDIOLOGY RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2022; 24:100223. [PMID: 36345551 PMCID: PMC9630293 DOI: 10.1016/j.ahjo.2022.100223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Background Patients with heart failure face increased morbidity and mortality when infected with COVID-19. The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients with Heart Failure (HF), Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs), or Heart Transplants (HTx) diagnosed with COVID-19 within an advanced HF practice. Methods Out of 2635 patients followed, 96 patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 2020 and January 2021. Median hospital length of stay (LOS), requirement for mechanical ventilation (MV), and mortality rate were evaluated. Results The distribution of COVID-19 among the 96 patients was: HF = 43 (45 %), LVAD = 16 (17 %) and HTx = 37 (38 %). Among 43 HF patients, 5 (12 %) died, 18 (42 %) required hospitalization with an LOS of 7 days, 5 (12 %) required ICU and 4 (9 %) required MV. Of the 16 LVAD patients, 2 (13 %) died, 8 (50 %) required hospitalization with an LOS of 11 days, 3 (19 %) required ICU and 3 (19 %) required MV. Among 37 HTx patients, 7 (19 %) died, 23 (62 %) required hospitalization with an LOS of 9 days, 6 (16 %) required ICU and 6 (16 %) required MV. Conclusion This report is among the first to describe the impact of COVID-19 on a diverse advanced HF practice. It highlights the risks associated with COVID-19 faced by the HF, LVAD and HTx patients. A 90-day mortality rate of 19 % with HTx patients acquiring COVID-19 is ominous as is a mortality rate of 12 % each for HF and LVAD patients. This clinical impact should serve as a reminder of unique challenges with these populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan George
- INTEGRIS Advanced Cardiac Care, Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute, INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73112, United States of America
| | - Luke C Cunningham
- INTEGRIS Advanced Cardiac Care, Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute, INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73112, United States of America
| | - David P Nelson
- INTEGRIS Advanced Cardiac Care, Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute, INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73112, United States of America
| | - Douglas A Horstmanshof
- INTEGRIS Advanced Cardiac Care, Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute, INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73112, United States of America
| | - James W Long
- INTEGRIS Advanced Cardiac Care, Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute, INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73112, United States of America
| | - Ahmed M El Banayosy
- INTEGRIS Advanced Cardiac Care, Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute, INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73112, United States of America
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16
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Donoso Trenado V, López-Vilella R, Sánchez-Lázaro I, Martínez-Dolz L, Almenar-Bonet L. COVID-19 Infection in Heart Transplants in Pre- and Postvaccination Periods. Transplant Proc 2022; 54:2490-2493. [PMID: 36369140 PMCID: PMC9642968 DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2022.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heart transplant (HTx) recipients constitute a group vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. Vaccination has been a turning point in the evolution of the pandemic. The objective was to analyze a series of HTx recipients with COVID-19 prior to vaccination and post vaccination. METHODS Inclusion: All HTx recipients diagnosed with COVID-19 (February 2020 to April 2022). EXCLUSION HTx younger than 16 years. They were subdivided into prevaccination period (February 2020 to February 2021) and postvaccination period (March 2021 to April 2022). They were classified into 3 groups according to severity. Group 1: mild symptoms without admission. Group 2: admission for nonsevere pneumonia. Group 3: severe pneumonia according to American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America criteria. The general therapeutic attitude before and after vaccination was similar in both groups. RESULTS A total of 65 HTx recipients have had COVID-19 to date (10.7% of the 374 HTx recipients alive). In the prevaccination period, 22 HTx recipients presented the disease (Fig 1A): 27% in group 1; 59% were admitted for nonsevere pneumonia (group 2), with favorable evolution and a mean stay of 16 days; and 14% in group 3 (criteria for severe pneumonia), with 2 HTx recipients dying in this group. In the postvaccination period, 43 HTx recipients have presented COVID-19 (Fig 1B), 49% in group 1, 42% in group 2, and 9% in group 3. The hospital stay is slightly reduced to 15 days and 3 of the 4 patients in group 3 have died (mortality rate 7%). CONCLUSIONS A significant number of HTx recipients have been affected by COVID-19, associating high mortality in severe forms both in the pre- and postvaccination period. In our series of patients, vaccination has reduced the percentage of hospitalization for nonsevere pneumonia slightly below the average hospitalization and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Víctor Donoso Trenado
- Heart Failure and Transplantation Unit, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Department of Cardiology, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain
| | - Raquel López-Vilella
- Heart Failure and Transplantation Unit, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Department of Cardiology, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Address correspondence to Raquel López-Vilella, Heart Failure and Transplantation Unit, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, Avenida Fernando Abril Martorell, 106, CP 46026, Valencia, Spain. Tel: +34961245851
| | - Ignacio Sánchez-Lázaro
- Heart Failure and Transplantation Unit, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Department of Cardiology, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - Luis Martínez-Dolz
- Department of Cardiology, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - Luis Almenar-Bonet
- Heart Failure and Transplantation Unit, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Department of Cardiology, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain,Department of Medicine, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
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17
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Characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 in heart transplantation recipients in the Netherlands. Neth Heart J 2022; 30:519-525. [PMID: 36074336 PMCID: PMC9454385 DOI: 10.1007/s12471-022-01720-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immunocompromised patients are at high risk of complicated severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 infection. The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of heart transplantation (HTx) recipients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Netherlands. METHODS HTx patients from one of the three HTx centres in the Netherlands with COVID-19 (proven by positive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction or serology test result) between February 2020 and June 2021 were included. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality and the secondary endpoint was disease severity. RESULTS COVID-19 was diagnosed in 54/665 HTx patients (8%), with a mean (± standard deviation (SD)) time after HTx of 11 ± 8 years. Mean (± SD) age was 53 ± 14 years and 39% were female. Immunosuppressive therapy dosage was reduced in 37% patients (20/54). Hospitalisation was required in 39% patients (21/54), and 13% patients (7/54) had severe COVID-19 (leading to intensive care unit (ICU) admission or death). In-hospital mortality was 14% (3/21), and all-cause mortality was 6%. Compared with patients with moderate COVID-19 (hospitalised without ICU indication), severe COVID-19 patients tended to be transplanted earlier and had a significantly higher mean (± SD) body mass index (26 ± 3 vs 30 ± 3 kg/m2, p = 0.01). Myocardial infarction, cellular rejection and pulmonary embolism were observed once in three different HTx patients. CONCLUSION HTx patients were at increased risk of complicated COVID-19 with frequent hospitalisation, but the all-cause mortality was substantially lower than previously described (7-33%).
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18
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Tsigkou V, Siasos G, Oikonomou E, Bletsa E, Vavuranakis M, Tousoulis D. “Heart failure in COVID-19 patients: Critical care experience”: A letter to the editor. World J Virol 2022; 11:216-220. [PMID: 36159614 PMCID: PMC9372782 DOI: 10.5501/wjv.v11.i4.216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with poor cardiovascular outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) of all categories of ejection fraction (EF), but mainly in patients with HF with reduced EF. Moreover, cardiac transplant patients exhibit worse cardiovascular prognosis, high mortality, and more admissions to the intensive care unit. In general, COVID-19 seems to de-teriorate the clinical status of HF and favors the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome and multiorgan failure, especially in the presence of cardiovascular comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, kidney dysfunction, and older age. COVID-19 may induce new-onset HF with complex mechanisms that involve myocardial injury. Indeed, myocardial injury comprises a large category of detrimental effects for the myocardium, such as myocardial infarction type 1 or type 2, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, microvascular dysfunction and myocarditis, which are not easily distinguished by HF. The pathophysiologic mechanisms mainly involve direct myocardial damage by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, cytokine storm, hypercoagulation, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction. The proper management of patients with COVID-19 involves careful patient evaluation and ongoing monitoring for complications such as HF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliki Tsigkou
- Department of Cardiology, ‘Sotiria’ General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - Gerasimos Siasos
- Department of Cardiology, ‘Sotiria’ General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens 11527, Greece
- Division of Cardiovascular, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Evangelos Oikonomou
- Department of Cardiology, ‘Sotiria’ General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - Evanthia Bletsa
- Department of Cardiology, ‘Sotiria’ General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - Manolis Vavuranakis
- Department of Cardiology, ‘Sotiria’ General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - Dimitris Tousoulis
- Department of Cardiology, ‘Hippokration’ General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens 11527, Greece
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19
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Wolfe SB, Calero T, Osho AA, Michel E, Sundt TM, D'Alessandro DA. Racial Disparities in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Mortality Are Present in Heart Transplant Recipients. Ann Thorac Surg 2022; 115:1009-1015. [PMID: 35820491 PMCID: PMC9270231 DOI: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2022.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies have demonstrated the devastating effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on vulnerable populations. Although they receive close follow-up, heart transplant recipients represent a particularly vulnerable population, given long-term immunosuppression and comorbid conditions. We sought to investigate the association between race/ethnicity and the probability of death due to COVID-19 in adult heart transplant recipients in the United States. METHODS Adult isolated heart transplant recipients were identified using the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database. Recipients who were described as deceased or lost to follow-up before January 2020 were excluded. Recipients were stratified into 4 cohorts by race/ethnicity. The primary outcome of interest was death due to COVID-19. RESULTS A total of 22 157 adult recipients were identified. During the course of follow-up, 153 recipients had COVID-19 reported as the primary cause of death. COVID-19 mortality was significantly different between race/ethnicity cohorts (Black, n = 34 [0.79%]; Hispanic, n = 23 [1.33%]; White, n = 92 [0.60%]; other, n = 4 [0.44%]; P = .007). COVID-19 was listed as a contributing cause of mortality in 0.12% of Black, 0.23% of Hispanic, 0.04% of White, and 0.33% of other recipients (P = .002). No significant difference in non-COVID mortality or all-cause mortality was observed. After multivariable adjustment, Black (hazard ratio, 2.78 [1.40-5.52]; P = .003) and Hispanic (hazard ratio, 3.92 [1.88-8.16]; P < .001) recipients were at higher risk of death due to COVID-19 compared with White recipients. CONCLUSIONS Compared with White recipients, Black and Hispanic recipients experienced higher rates of COVID-19 mortality after transplantation. These findings suggest that racial/ethnic disparities of COVID-19 mortality in the general population persist in adult heart transplant recipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley B Wolfe
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Corrigan Minehan Heart Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Tiffany Calero
- Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Asishana A Osho
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Corrigan Minehan Heart Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Eriberto Michel
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Corrigan Minehan Heart Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Thoralf M Sundt
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Corrigan Minehan Heart Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - David A D'Alessandro
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Corrigan Minehan Heart Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
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20
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CMV Infection Following mRNA SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients. Transplant Direct 2022; 8:e1344. [PMID: 35706606 PMCID: PMC9191559 DOI: 10.1097/txd.0000000000001344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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21
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Impact of Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device on Heart Transplant Candidates: A Multi-State Survival Analysis. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11123425. [PMID: 35743495 PMCID: PMC9225476 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11123425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the prolonged use of continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) on heart transplant (HTx) candidates. (2) Methods: Between January 2012 and December 2019, we included all consecutive patients diagnosed with end-stage heart failure considered for HTx at our institution, who were also eligible for LVAD therapy as a bridge to transplant (BTT). Patients were divided into two groups: those who received an LVAD as BTT (LVAD group) and those who were listed without durable support (No-LVAD group). (3) Results: A total of 250 patients were analyzed. Of these, 70 patients (28%) were directly implanted with an LVAD as BTT, 11 (4.4%) received delayed LVAD implantation, and 169 (67%) were never assisted with an implantable device. The mean follow-up time was 36 ± 29 months. In the multivariate analysis of survival before HTx, LVAD implantation showed a protective effect: LVAD vs. No-LVAD HR 0.01 (p < 0.01) and LVAD vs. LVAD delayed HR 0.13 (p = 0.02). Mortality and adverse events after HTx were similar between LVAD and No-LVAD (p = 0.65 and p = 0.39, respectively). The multi-state survival analysis showed a significantly higher probability of death for No-LVAD vs. LVAD patients with (p = 0.03) or without (p = 0.04) HTx. (4) Conclusions: The use of LVAD as a bridge to transplant was associated with an overall survival benefit, compared to patients listed without LVAD support.
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22
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Ross FJ, Joffe DC, Landsem LM, Latham GJ. The Year in Review: Anesthesia for Congenital Heart Disease 2021. Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2022; 26:129-139. [PMID: 35616475 DOI: 10.1177/10892532221095038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This review focuses on the literature published during the calendar year 2021 that is of interest to anesthesiologists taking care of children and adults with congenital heart disease. Four major themes are discussed, including cardiovascular disease in children with COVID-19, aortic valve repair and replacement, bleeding and coagulation, and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Faith J Ross
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of WashingtonSeattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Denise C Joffe
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of WashingtonSeattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Leah M Landsem
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of WashingtonSeattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gregory J Latham
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of WashingtonSeattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA
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23
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Schaenman J, Byford H, Grogan T, Motwani Y, Beaird OE, Kamath M, Lum E, Meneses K, Sayah D, Vucicevic D, Saab S. Impact of solid organ transplant status on outcomes of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection. Transpl Infect Dis 2022; 24:e13853. [PMID: 35579437 PMCID: PMC9347588 DOI: 10.1111/tid.13853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Background The COVID‐19 pandemic has caused significant morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. However, it remains unclear whether the risk factor for SOT patients is the immunosuppression inherent to transplantation versus patient comorbidities. Methods We reviewed outcomes in a cohort of SOT (n = 129) and non‐SOT (NSOT) patients (n = 708) admitted to the University of California, Los Angeles for COVID‐19 infection. Data analyses utilized multivariate logistic regression to evaluate the impact of patient demographics, comorbidities, and transplant status on outcomes. SOT patients were analyzed by kidney SOT (KSOT) versus nonkidney SOT (NKSOT) groups. Results SOT and NSOT patients with COVID‐19 infection differed in terms of patient age, ethnicity, and comorbidities. NKSOT patients were the most likely to experience death, with a mortality rate of 16.2% compared with 1.8% for KSOT and 8.3% for NSOT patients (p = .013). Multivariable analysis of hospitalized patients revealed that patient age (odds ratio [OR] 2.79, p = .001) and neurologic condition (OR 2.66, p < .001) were significantly associated with mortality. Analysis of ICU patients revealed a 2.98‐fold increased odds of death in NKSOT compared with NSOT patients (p = .013). Conclusions This study demonstrates the importance of transplant status in predicting adverse clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized or admitted to the ICU with COVID‐19, especially for NKSOT patients. Transplant status and comorbidities, including age, could be used to risk stratify patients with COVID‐19. This data suggests that immunosuppression contributes to COVID‐19 disease severity and mortality and may have implications for managing immunosuppression, especially for critically ill patients admitted to the ICU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Schaenman
- Division of Infectious, Diseases, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Hannah Byford
- Transplant Nephrology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Tristan Grogan
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Yash Motwani
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Omer E Beaird
- Division of Infectious, Diseases, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Megan Kamath
- Division of Cardiology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Erik Lum
- Transplant Nephrology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Katherine Meneses
- Transplant Hepatology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - David Sayah
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Darko Vucicevic
- Division of Cardiology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Sammy Saab
- Transplant Hepatology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
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Degarege A, Naveed Z, Kabayundo J, Brett-Major D. Heterogeneity and Risk of Bias in Studies Examining Risk Factors for Severe Illness and Death in COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Pathogens 2022; 11:563. [PMID: 35631084 PMCID: PMC9147100 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11050563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized the evidence on the impacts of demographics and comorbidities on the clinical outcomes of COVID-19, as well as the sources of the heterogeneity and publication bias of the relevant studies. Two authors independently searched the literature from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, and CINAHL on 18 May 2021; removed duplicates; screened the titles, abstracts, and full texts by using criteria; and extracted data from the eligible articles. The variations among the studies were examined by using Cochrane, Q.; I2, and meta-regression. Out of 11,975 articles that were obtained from the databases and screened, 559 studies were abstracted, and then, where appropriate, were analyzed by meta-analysis (n = 542). COVID-19-related severe illness, admission to the ICU, and death were significantly correlated with comorbidities, male sex, and an age older than 60 or 65 years, although high heterogeneity was present in the pooled estimates. The study design, the study country, the sample size, and the year of publication contributed to this. There was publication bias among the studies that compared the odds of COVID-19-related deaths, severe illness, and admission to the ICU on the basis of the comorbidity status. While an older age and chronic diseases were shown to increase the risk of developing severe illness, admission to the ICU, and death among the COVID-19 patients in our analysis, a marked heterogeneity was present when linking the specific risks with the outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abraham Degarege
- Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA; (Z.N.); (J.K.); (D.B.-M.)
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Marginal versus Standard Donors in Heart Transplantation: Proper Selection Means Heart Transplant Benefit. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11092665. [PMID: 35566789 PMCID: PMC9105473 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11092665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In this study, we assessed the mid-term outcomes of patients who received a heart donation from a marginal donor (MD), and compared them with those who received an organ from a standard donor (SD). METHODS All patients who underwent HTx between January 2012 and December 2020 were enrolled at a single institution. The primary endpoints were early and long-term survival of MD recipients. Risk factors for primary graft failure (PGF) and mortality in MD recipients were also analyzed. The secondary endpoint was the comparison of survival of MD versus SD recipients. RESULTS In total, 238 patients underwent HTx, 64 (26.9%) of whom received an organ from an MD. Hospital mortality in the MD recipient cohort was 23%, with an estimated 1 and 5-year survival of 70% (59.2-82.7) and 68.1% (57.1-81), respectively. A multivariate analysis in MD recipients showed that decreased renal function and increased inotropic support of recipients were associated with higher mortality (p = 0.04 and p = 0.03). Cold ischemic time (p = 0.03) and increased donor inotropic support (p = 0.04) were independent risk factors for PGF. Overall survival was higher in SD than MD (85% vs. 68% at 5 years, log-rank = 0.008). However, risk-adjusted mortality (p = 0.2) and 5-year conditional survival (log-rank = 0.6) were comparable. CONCLUSIONS Selected MDs are a valuable resource for expanding the cardiac donor pool, showing promising results. The use of MDs after prolonged ischemic times, increased inotropic support of the MD or the recipient and decreased renal function are associated with worse outcomes.
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Klein FR, Renedo MF, Vigliano CA. Evidence of Continued CD4+ and CD8+ T Cell Activity After SARS-COV-2 Clearance in a Late COVID-19 Pneumonia Heart Transplant Patient. Cureus 2022; 14:e24852. [PMID: 35702460 PMCID: PMC9176684 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.24852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
We have studied an unvaccinated heart transplant 64-year-old patient admitted for low-grade fever, dry cough, general malaise, and bilateral interstitial infiltrates, after two months of a diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) bilateral pneumonia. A bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial biopsy were performed. Bacterial, mycotic and viral infections were ruled out including repeated reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Diffuse thickening of alveolar septa with fibrosis and infiltration of lymphocytes and macrophages into the alveolar septa with aggregates of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with positive immunolabelling for granzyme B were observed, indicating a continuing cytotoxic process that might have induced proliferation and fibrosis. An intense ongoing immunopathological cellular reaction, potentially triggered by SARS-CoV-2 overcoming the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of the immunosuppressive drugs is suggested by these findings, opening to debate the usual approach of minimizing immunosuppression after COVID-19 in transplant patients when presence of SARS-CoV-2 has been ruled out.
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Kuczaj A, Przybyłowski P. Patients After Orthotopic Heart Transplantation With COVID-19: Are We Fast Enough With Vaccinations? Transplant Proc 2022; 54:897-900. [PMID: 35414424 PMCID: PMC8920909 DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2022.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients after orthotopic heart transplantation (HTx) are especially susceptible to infections owing to permanent need for immunosuppression. Vaccinations against COVID-19 have been available since January 2021 and are recommended in organ recipients. AIM The aim of this study was to analyze COVID-19 susceptibility and mortality in HTx and number of patients with COVID-19 previously vaccinated against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). PATIENTS AND METHODS We analyzed a whole cohort of 552 patients after HTx who were SARS-CoV-2 positive and remained under surveillance of the transplantation center during March 2020 to September 2021. RESULTS Among 552 patients after HTx, 10 were COVID-19 survivors prior to transplantation and 103 had SARS CoV-2 infection after transplantation. Mean age of patients with COVID-19 was 55.6 (±14) years, and mean time from transplantation to SARS-CoV-2 infection was 2856 (±2596) days (range, 16-9569 days; interquartile range, 397-4763 days). Among the patients who were COVID-19 positive, 15 were asymptomatic, 10 died, and 51 infections occurred in the era of vaccinations. In the group of patients who were positive for COVID-19 in 2021, 6 received only a single dose of the mRNA vaccine and 3 were vaccinated twice. Among the vaccinated patients with COVID-19, 2 died of severe COVID-19: 1 after a single dose and 1 after 2 standard doses of the vaccine. CONCLUSION We observed high susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in the group of patients after HTx. The majority of patients infected in 2021 did not received the vaccine. Vaccination does not fully protect against severe COVID-19 in patients after HTx.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Kuczaj
- Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Transplantology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland; Department of Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Silesian Center for Heart Diseases, Zabrze, Poland.
| | - Piotr Przybyłowski
- Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Transplantology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland; Department of Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Silesian Center for Heart Diseases, Zabrze, Poland
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Peters LL, Raymer DS, Pal JD, Ambardekar AV. Association of COVID-19 Vaccination With Risk of COVID-19 Infection, Hospitalization, and Death in Heart Transplant Recipients. JAMA Cardiol 2022; 7:651-654. [PMID: 35475896 PMCID: PMC9047723 DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2022.0670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Importance Orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) recipients are at increased risk for morbidity and mortality after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although antibody response to COVID-19 vaccination is lower in solid organ transplant recipients, there has been no study assessing the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in OHT recipients. Objective To assess the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination and associations with SARS-CoV-2 infection and clinical outcomes in a large population of adult OHT recipients. Design, Setting, and Participants This case-control study examined data from a US heart transplant program at a single center for all adult recipients of OHT who were followed up from January 15, 2021, through January 31, 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was number of SARS-CoV-2 infections and related hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and deaths between vaccinated vs unvaccinated adult recipients of OHT. Results A total of 436 patients who received OHT were included in the study, of which 106 patients were infected with COVID-19. The mean (SD) age was 54 (17) years; 303 (69.5%) were men and 133 (30.5%) were women. There were 366 patients in the vaccinated cohort with 72 COVID-19 infections (19.7%), 15 hospitalizations (4.1%), 4 ICU admissions (1.1%), and 3 deaths (0.8%). There were 70 patients in the unvaccinated cohort with 34 COVID-19 infections (48.6%), 10 hospitalizations (14.3%), 3 ICU admissions (4.3%), and 3 deaths (4.3%). COVID-19 vaccination was associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 infection (risk ratio [RR], 0.41; 95% CI, 0.30-0.56), hospitalization (RR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.14-0.61), and death (RR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.05-0.82). Among the 366 vaccinated OHT recipients, there was no echocardiographic evidence of graft dysfunction, clinically significant rejection, or allosensitization at 6 months after they received the COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusions and Relevance Patients with OHT who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at greater risk of severe infection and death compared with immunocompetent individuals. COVID-19 vaccination was associated with fewer COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, with no heart transplant-specific adverse events. COVID-19 vaccination for all OHT recipients is of paramount importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura L Peters
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora
| | - David S Raymer
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora
| | - Jay D Pal
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora.,Now with Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Amrut V Ambardekar
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora
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29
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Crespo-Leiro MG, Costanzo MR, Gustafsson F, Khush KK, Macdonald PS, Potena L, Stehlik J, Zuckermann A, Mehra MR. Heart transplantation: focus on donor recovery strategies, left ventricular assist devices, and novel therapies. Eur Heart J 2022; 43:2237-2246. [PMID: 35441654 DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehac204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Heart transplantation is advocated in selected patients with advanced heart failure in the absence of contraindications. Principal challenges in heart transplantation centre around an insufficient and underutilized donor organ pool, the need to individualize titration of immunosuppressive therapy, and to minimize late complications such as cardiac allograft vasculopathy, malignancy, and renal dysfunction. Advances have served to increase the organ donor pool by advocating the use of donors with underlying hepatitis C virus infection and by expanding the donor source to use hearts donated after circulatory death. New techniques to preserve the donor heart over prolonged ischaemic times, and enabling longer transport times in a safe manner, have been introduced. Mechanical circulatory support as a bridge to transplantation has allowed patients with advanced heart failure to avoid progressive deterioration in hepato-renal function while awaiting an optimal donor organ match. The management of the heart transplantation recipient remains a challenge despite advances in immunosuppression, which provide early gains in rejection avoidance but are associated with infections and late-outcome challenges. In this article, we review contemporary advances and challenges in this field to focus on donor recovery strategies, left ventricular assist devices, and immunosuppressive monitoring therapies with the potential to enhance outcomes. We also describe opportunities for future discovery to include a renewed focus on long-term survival, which continues to be an area that is under-studied and poorly characterized, non-human sources of organs for transplantation including xenotransplantation as well as chimeric transplantation, and technology competitive to human heart transplantation, such as tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Generosa Crespo-Leiro
- Department of Cardiology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña (CHUAC), Instituto de Investigación Biomedica A Coruña (INIBIC), Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red Cardiovascular (CIBERCV), As Xubias 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain
| | | | - Finn Gustafsson
- Department of Cardiology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kiran K Khush
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Luciano Potena
- Heart Failure and Transplant Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Josef Stehlik
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Andreas Zuckermann
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mandeep R Mehra
- Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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30
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Gupta AK, Leslie A, Hewitt JN, Kovoor JG, Ovenden CD, Edwards S, Chan JCY, Worthington MG. Cardiac surgery on patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. ANZ J Surg 2022; 92:1007-1014. [PMID: 35373439 PMCID: PMC9111466 DOI: 10.1111/ans.17667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Introduction The COVID‐19 pandemic has had a significant impact on global surgery. In particular, deleterious effects of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection on the heart and cardiovascular system have been described. To inform surgical patients, we performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis aiming to characterize outcomes of COVID‐19 positive patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021228533) and conformed with PRISMA 2020 and MOOSE guidelines. PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE and Web of Science were searched between 1 January 2019 to 24 February 2022 for studies reporting outcomes on COVID‐19 positive patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Study screening, data extraction and risk of bias assessment were conducted in duplicate. Meta‐analysis was conducted using a random‐effects model where at least two studies had sufficient data for that variable. Results Searches identified 4223 articles of which 18 studies were included with a total 44 patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Within these studies, 12 (66.7%) reported populations undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, three (16.7%) aortic valve replacements (AVR) and three (16.7%) aortic dissection repairs. Overall mean postoperative length of ICU stay was 3.39 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.38, 6.39) and mean postoperative length of hospital stay was 17.88 (95% CI: 14.57, 21.19). Conclusion This systematic review and meta‐analysis investigated studies of limited quality which characterized cardiac surgery in COVID‐19 positive patients and demonstrates that these patients have poor outcomes. Further issues to be explored are effects of COVID‐19 on decision‐making in cardiac surgery, and effects of COVID‐19 on the cardiovascular system at a cellular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aashray K Gupta
- Department of Surgery, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia.,University of Adelaide, Discipline of Surgery, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Alasdair Leslie
- University of Adelaide, Discipline of Surgery, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Joseph N Hewitt
- University of Adelaide, Discipline of Surgery, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Joshua G Kovoor
- University of Adelaide, Discipline of Surgery, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Christopher D Ovenden
- University of Adelaide, Discipline of Surgery, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Suzanne Edwards
- Adelaide Health Technology Assessment, School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Justin C Y Chan
- University of Adelaide, Discipline of Surgery, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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31
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Martits-Chalangari K, Spak CW, Askar M, Killian A, Fisher TL, Atillasoy E, Marshall WL, McNeel D, Miller MD, Mathai SK, Gottlieb RL. ALVR109, an off-the-shelf partially HLA matched SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell therapy, to treat refractory severe COVID-19 pneumonia in a heart transplant patient: Case report. Am J Transplant 2022; 22:1261-1265. [PMID: 34910857 PMCID: PMC9303326 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.16927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
An unvaccinated adult male heart transplant recipient patient with recalcitrant COVID-19 due to SARS-CoV-2 delta variant with rising nasopharyngeal quantitative viral load was successfully treated with ALVR109, an off-the-shelf SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell therapy. Background immunosuppression included 0.1 mg/kg prednisone, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil 1 gm twice daily for historical antibody-mediated rejection. Prior therapies included remdesivir, corticosteroids, and tocilizumab, with requirement for high-flow nasal oxygen. Lack of clinical improvement and acutely rising nasopharyngeal viral RNA more than 3 weeks into illness prompted the request of ALVR109 through an emergency IND. The day following the first ALVR109 infusion, the patient's nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 RNA declined from 7.43 to 5.02 log10 RNA copies/ml. On post-infusion day 4, the patient transitioned to low-flow oxygen. Two subsequent infusions of ALVR109 were administered 10 and 26 days after the first; nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 RNA became undetectable on Day 11, and he was discharged the following day on low-flow oxygen 5 weeks after the initial diagnosis of COVID-19. The clinical and virologic improvements observed in this patient following administration of ALVR109 suggest a potential benefit that warrants further exploration in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katalin Martits-Chalangari
- Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA,Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Cedric W. Spak
- Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA,Texas A&M Health Science Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Medhat Askar
- Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA,Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, Dallas, Texas, USA,Texas A&M Health Science Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Aaron Killian
- Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA,Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Tammy L. Fisher
- Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA,Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Susan K. Mathai
- Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA,Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, Dallas, Texas, USA,Texas A&M Health Science Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Robert L. Gottlieb
- Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA,Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, Dallas, Texas, USA,Texas A&M Health Science Center, Dallas, Texas, USA,TCU and University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA,Correspondence Robert L. Gottlieb, Center for Advanced Heart and Lung Disease, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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32
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Characteristics and Outcomes of Heart Transplant Recipients With Coronavirus-19 Disease in a High-volume Transplant Center. Transplantation 2022; 106:641-647. [PMID: 33756548 PMCID: PMC8862677 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000003770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heart transplant (HT) recipients may be at higher risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection and developing critical illness. The aim of this study is to describe characteristics and outcomes of HT recipients infected by SARS-COV-2, from a high-volume transplant center. METHODS We have described data of all adult HT recipients with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 by RT-PCR in nasopharyngeal samples from April 5, 2020, to January 5, 2021. Outcomes and follow-up were recorded until February 5, 2021. RESULTS Forty patients were included. Twenty-four patients (60%) were men; the median age was 53 (40-60) y old; median HT time was 34 mo; and median follow-up time 162 d. The majority needed hospitalization (83%). Immunosuppressive therapy was reduced/withdrawn in the majority of patients, except from steroids, which were maintained. Seventeen patients (42.5%) were classified as having severe disease according to the ordinal scale developed by the World Health Organization Committee. They tended to have lower absolute lymphocyte count (P < 0.001) during follow-up when compared with patients with mild disease. Thirty-day mortality was 12.5%. However, a longer follow-up revealed increased later mortality (27.5%), with median time to death around 35 d. Bacterial nosocomial infections were a leading cause of death. Cardiac allograft rejection (10%) and ventricular dysfunction (12.5%) were also not negligible. CONCLUSIONS Major findings of this study corroborate other cohorts' results, but it also reports significant rate of later events, suggesting that a strict midterm surveillance is advisable to HT recipients with coronavirus disease 2019.
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Scolari FL, Hastenteufel LCT, Einsfeld L, Bueno J, Orlandin L, Clausell N, Goldraich LA. Impact of COVID-19 Infection Among Heart Transplant Recipients: A Southern Brazilian Experience. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:814952. [PMID: 35223912 PMCID: PMC8863584 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.814952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) infection is associated with a high risk of complications and death among heart transplant recipients. However, most cohorts are from high-income countries, while data from Latin America are sparse. Methods This is a retrospective cohort of heart transplant recipients followed at a hospital in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, between March 1st 2020 and October 1st 2021. Results Of the 62 heart transplant recipients on follow-up, 21 (34%) were infected by COVID-19, 58 (36–63) years of age, 67% male, body mass index of 26 (23-29) kg/m2, 48% with hypertension, 43% with chronic kidney disease, 5% with diabetes, within 2 (1–4) years of post-transplant follow-up. At presentation, the main symptoms were fever (62%), myalgia (33%), cough (33%), headache (33%), and dyspnea (19%). Hospitalization was required for 13 (62%) patients, with a time from first symptoms to the admission of 5 (1–12) days. In 38%, supplementary oxygen was needed, 19% required intensive care, and 10% mechanical ventilation. Three (14%) were infected after at least a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The main complications were bacterial pneumonia (38%), renal replacement therapy (19%), sepsis (10%) and venous thromboembolism (10%). Immunosuppression therapy was modified in 48%, with a reduction in the majority (89%). Two (10%) patients died in the hospital due to refractory hypoxemia and multiple organ dysfunction. The incidence of COVID-19 among transplant patients was comparable to the general population in the State of Rio Grande do Sul with a peak in December 2020. Conclusion Heart transplant recipients shown a high rate of COVID-19 infection in Southern Brazil, with typical symptom presentation in most cases. There was an elevated rate of hospitalization, supplementary oxygen support, and complications. In-hospital lethality among infected heart transplanted recipients was similar to previously reported data worldwide despite the high rates of infection in Latin America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Luis Scolari
- Heart Transplant Program, Division of Cardiology, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Ted Rogers Center for Heart Research, Peter Munk Cardiac Center, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Lídia Einsfeld
- Pharmacy Service, Clinical Pharmacy Section, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Julia Bueno
- Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Letícia Orlandin
- Heart Transplant Program, Division of Cardiology, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Nadine Clausell
- Heart Transplant Program, Division of Cardiology, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Lívia Adams Goldraich
- Heart Transplant Program, Division of Cardiology, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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Bansal N, Ovchinsky N, Foca M, Lamour JM, Kogan‐Liberman D, Hsu DT, Beddows K, Abraham L, Coburn M, Cunningham R, Nguyen T, Hayde N. COVID-19 infection in pediatric solid organ transplant patients. Pediatr Transplant 2022; 26:e14156. [PMID: 34633125 PMCID: PMC8646513 DOI: 10.1111/petr.14156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adult SOT recipients with COVID-19 have higher mortality rates when compared to general population. There is paucity of data on outcomes in pediatric SOT recipients. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study investigating the prevalence of COVID-19 infection and outcomes in pediatric SOT (heart, liver, and kidney) recipients. We extracted demographic and clinical characteristics and COVID-19 testing (PCR or [Ab] test) results from medical records. Clinical characteristics were compared between patients who were positive for COVID-19 (PCR or Ab) and those who did not, using Mann-Whitney, Student's t test, or chi-square test. p value <.05 was statistically significant. RESULTS A total of 108 SOT recipients with a median age of 13.1 (8.4, 17.8) years and median 4.2 (2.7, 7.9) years from transplant were checked for COVID-19 via a PCR or Ab test. A positive PCR was confirmed in 10 patients (9.3%), while 12 patients (11.1%) were positive for COVID-19 Ab. The patients who tested positive in our cohort were 9/50 (18%) heart, 6/68 (8.8%) kidney, and 7/50 (14%) liver transplant recipients. There were no differences in the clinical characteristics between patients with and without COVID-19 infection. All patients were either asymptomatic (50%) or had self-limiting symptoms. No changes were made to the immunosuppressive regimen. Only one patient was hospitalized and none had an oxygen requirement. CONCLUSIONS In our cohort of pediatric SOT recipients, COVID-19 infection was asymptomatic or mild. This data may aid clinicians in counseling patients and families in this increased-risk population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Bansal
- Division of Pediatric CardiologyChildren’s Hospital at MontefioreBronxNew YorkUSA
| | - Nadia Ovchinsky
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Children’s Hospital at MontefioreBronxNew YorkUSA
| | - Marc Foca
- Division of Pediatric Infectious DiseasesChildren’s Hospital at MontefioreBronxNew YorkUSA
| | - Jacqueline M. Lamour
- Division of Pediatric CardiologyChildren’s Hospital at MontefioreBronxNew YorkUSA
| | - Debora Kogan‐Liberman
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Children’s Hospital at MontefioreBronxNew YorkUSA
| | - Daphne T. Hsu
- Division of Pediatric CardiologyChildren’s Hospital at MontefioreBronxNew YorkUSA
| | - Kimberly Beddows
- Division of Pediatric CardiologyChildren’s Hospital at MontefioreBronxNew YorkUSA
| | - Lincy Abraham
- Division of Pediatric CardiologyChildren’s Hospital at MontefioreBronxNew YorkUSA
| | - Maura Coburn
- Division of Pediatric NephrologyChildren’s Hospital at MontefioreBronxNew YorkUSA
| | - Ryan Cunningham
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Children’s Hospital at MontefioreBronxNew YorkUSA
| | - Trang Nguyen
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Children’s Hospital at MontefioreBronxNew YorkUSA
| | - Nicole Hayde
- Division of Pediatric NephrologyChildren’s Hospital at MontefioreBronxNew YorkUSA
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John KJ, Mishra AK, Ramasamy C, George AA, Selvaraj V, Lal A. Heart failure in COVID-19 patients: Critical care experience. World J Virol 2022; 11:1-19. [PMID: 35117968 PMCID: PMC8788216 DOI: 10.5501/wjv.v11.i1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with heart failure (HF) may be at a higher risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and may have a worse outcome due to their comorbid conditions and advanced age. In this narrative review, we aim to study the interaction between COVID-19 and HF from a critical care perspective. We performed a systematic search for studies that reported HF and critical care-related outcomes in COVID-19 patients in the PubMed and Medline databases. From a total of 1050 papers, we identified 26 that satisfied the eligibility criteria for our review. Data such as patient demographics, HF, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, management, and outcome were extracted from these studies and analyzed. We reported outcomes in heart-transplant patients with COVID-19 separately. In hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the prevalence of HF varied between 4% and 21%. The requirement for ICU admission was between 8% and 33%. HF patients with COVID-19 had an overall mortality rate between 20% and 40%. We identified that HF is an independent predictor of mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and patients with HF were more likely to require ventilation, ICU admission and develop complications. Patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction did worse than those with HF with midrange ejection fraction, and HF with preserved ejection fraction. COVID-19 patients with HF should be identified early and managed aggressively in an attempt to improve outcomes in this cohort of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin John John
- Department of Critical Care, Believers Church Medical College Hospital, Thiruvalla 689103, India
| | - Ajay K Mishra
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, MA 01608, United States
| | - Chidambaram Ramasamy
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, MA 01608, United States
| | - Anu A George
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, MA 01608, United States
| | - Vijairam Selvaraj
- Division of Medicine, The Miriam Hospital and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, United States
| | - Amos Lal
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, United States
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36
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Fida N. Management of Heart Failure, Durable Left Ventricular Assist Device, and Heart Transplant Patients in the COVID-19 Era. Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J 2022; 17:63-72. [PMID: 34992724 PMCID: PMC8680121 DOI: 10.14797/mdcvj.651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Our world is facing recurrent waves of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with the emergence of more infectious strains of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Multiple studies have established that heart failure (HF) patients are at high risk of severe disease and poor outcomes with COVID-19. Management of COVID-19 in patients with HF, heart transplant, and those supported with durable left ventricular assist devices present an arduous challenge due to underlying complex health conditions and overlap of symptoms. Based on available data, this review outlines the management of this vulnerable patient population who either present with COVID-19 with preexisting HF or with de novo HF from COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Fida
- Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, US
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37
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Tanner R, Starr N, Chan G, Dempsey E, Heffernan E, Newman E, O'Neill J, Hannan MM, Lynch B, Joyce E. Humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 adenovirus vector vaccination (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 [AZD1222]) in heart transplant recipients aged 18 to 70 years of age. J Heart Lung Transplant 2022; 41:492-500. [PMID: 35090809 PMCID: PMC8743281 DOI: 10.1016/j.healun.2022.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
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38
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Taghavi S, Raffiei Jelodar H, Rafati A, Naderi N, Mirtajaddini M, Amin A, Valizadeh L, Omidvar R, Kamali M, Naseh S. COVID-19 in heart transplant recipients. J Cardiovasc Thorac Res 2022; 14:258-262. [PMID: 36699553 PMCID: PMC9871157 DOI: 10.34172/jcvtr.2022.31583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: After solid organ transplantation, patients require lifelong immunosuppressive medication, increasing susceptibility to COVID-19. We evaluated the clinical outcomes of heart transplant recipients in patients with COVID-19. Methods: We enrolled twenty-two COVID-19 cases of adult heart transplantation from February 2020 to September 2021. Results: The most common symptoms in patients were fever and myalgia. The death occurred in 3 (13.6 %). Conclusion: Although heart transplantation mortality may increase in the acute rejection phase concomitant with COVID-19, immunosuppressive dose reduction may not be necessary for all heart transplant patients with COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepideh Taghavi
- Heart Valve Disease Research Center, Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hoda Raffiei Jelodar
- Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,Corresponding Author: Hoda Raffiei Jelodar,
| | - Ali Rafati
- Heart Valve Disease Research Center, Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nasim Naderi
- Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Marzieh Mirtajaddini
- Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Amin
- Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Leili Valizadeh
- Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Razieh Omidvar
- Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Monireh Kamali
- Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Andersen KM, Bates BA, Rashidi ES, Olex AL, Mannon RB, Patel RC, Singh J, Sun J, Auwaerter PG, Ng DK, Segal JB, Garibaldi BT, Mehta HB, Alexander GC. Long-term use of immunosuppressive medicines and in-hospital COVID-19 outcomes: a retrospective cohort study using data from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative. THE LANCET. RHEUMATOLOGY 2022; 4:e33-e41. [PMID: 34806036 PMCID: PMC8592562 DOI: 10.1016/s2665-9913(21)00325-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many individuals take long-term immunosuppressive medications. We evaluated whether these individuals have worse outcomes when hospitalised with COVID-19 compared with non-immunosuppressed individuals. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), the largest longitudinal electronic health record repository of patients in hospital with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in the USA, between Jan 1, 2020, and June 11, 2021, within 42 health systems. We compared adults with immunosuppressive medications used before admission to adults without long-term immunosuppression. We considered immunosuppression overall, as well as by 15 classes of medication and three broad indications for immunosuppressive medicines. We used Fine and Gray's proportional subdistribution hazards models to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for the risk of invasive mechanical ventilation, with the competing risk of death. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate HRs for in-hospital death. Models were adjusted using doubly robust propensity score methodology. FINDINGS Among 231 830 potentially eligible adults in the N3C repository who were admitted to hospital with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 during the study period, 222 575 met the inclusion criteria (mean age 59 years [SD 19]; 111 269 [50%] male). The most common comorbidities were diabetes (23%), pulmonary disease (17%), and renal disease (13%). 16 494 (7%) patients had long-term immunosuppression with medications for diverse conditions, including rheumatological disease (33%), solid organ transplant (26%), or cancer (22%). In the propensity score matched cohort (including 12 841 immunosuppressed patients and 29 386 non-immunosuppressed patients), immunosuppression was associated with a reduced risk of invasive ventilation (HR 0·89, 95% CI 0·83-0·96) and there was no overall association between long-term immunosuppression and the risk of in-hospital death. None of the 15 medication classes examined were associated with an increased risk of invasive mechanical ventilation. Although there was no statistically significant association between most drugs and in-hospital death, increases were found with rituximab for rheumatological disease (1·72, 1·10-2·69) and for cancer (2·57, 1·86-3·56). Results were generally consistent across subgroup analyses that considered race and ethnicity or sex, as well as across sensitivity analyses that varied exposure, covariate, and outcome definitions. INTERPRETATION Among this cohort, with the exception of rituximab, there was no increased risk of mechanical ventilation or in-hospital death for the rheumatological, antineoplastic, or antimetabolite therapies examined. FUNDING None.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M Andersen
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Benjamin A Bates
- Rutgers Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Emaan S Rashidi
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Amy L Olex
- Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Roslyn B Mannon
- Division of Nephrology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Rena C Patel
- Department of Medicine and Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jasvinder Singh
- Medicine Service, VA Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jing Sun
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Paul G Auwaerter
- The Sherrilyn and Ken Fisher Center for Environmental Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Derek K Ng
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jodi B Segal
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Brian T Garibaldi
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hemalkumar B Mehta
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - G Caleb Alexander
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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40
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Early report from the Pediatric Heart Transplant Society on COVID-19 infections in pediatric heart transplant candidates and recipients. J Heart Lung Transplant 2021; 41:327-333. [PMID: 34903451 PMCID: PMC8604161 DOI: 10.1016/j.healun.2021.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Reports focused on adult heart transplant (HTx) recipients with COVID-19 suggest an increased risk of severe disease, however; it is unclear if this holds true for pediatric HTx patients, given the typically milder course of illness in children in general with COVID-19. We sought to rapidly implement a system for multi-center data collection on pediatric HTx candidates and recipients, with the aim of describing the patient population and infection related outcomes. Methods The Pediatric Heart Transplant Society (PHTS) is a multi-center collaboration that seeks to improve the outcomes of children who are listed and undergo HTx. The society consists of pediatric HTx centers in North America (n = 53), UK (n = 2), and Brazil (n = 1). In response to the pandemic, PHTS developed a web-based platform to collect COVID-19 specific data on pediatric HTx candidates and recipients. Non-PHTS centers were also invited to submit data. Data fields included pre-and post-HTx patient characteristics, presumed versus documented infection, need for hospitalization (including ICU and ventilator use), treatments administered, and 30-day outcome (resolution, death, sequelae, and or unresolved) Results Data collection was initiated on 4/30/20. As of 03/15/21 there were 225 patients [19 pre-HTx and 206 post-HTx, median age 14 years (IQR 7, 18)] reported from 41 centers. Hospitalization occurred in 42% (n = 8) of the pre-HTx and 21% (n=43) of the post-HTx patients. Among the patients listed for HTx, 21% (n = 4) required ICU and 10.5% (n = 2) were mechanically ventilated. Among post-HTx patients, 7% (n = 14) required ICU and 1% (n = 3) were mechanically ventilated. At 30 days, the majority of patients had resolution of symptoms (94.7% pre-HTx, 95.6% post-HTx). One death was reported in a post-HTx patient prior to 30 days from onset of COVID-19 illness. Conclusions These data demonstrate the ability to rapidly adapt the PHTS data collection infrastructure in response to a novel infection and represent the first known multi-center report of characteristics and early outcomes for patients listed and following pediatric HTx with COVID-19. Hospitalization appears to be more common for both candidates and recipients due to COVID-19 than for the general pediatric population though stays were short and mortality minimal.
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41
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Schmidt-Lauber C, Günster C, Huber TB, Spoden M, Grahammer F. Collateral Effects and Mortality of Kidney Transplant Recipients during the COVID-19 Pandemic. KIDNEY360 2021; 3:325-336. [PMID: 35373117 PMCID: PMC8967627 DOI: 10.34067/kid.0006472021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Background Collateral effects and consequences of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic on kidney transplant recipients remain widely unknown. Methods This retrospective cohort study examined changes in admission rates, incidences of diseases leading to hospitalization, in-patient procedures, and maintenance medication in long-term kidney transplant recipients with functioning graft during the early COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Data were derived from a nationwide health insurance database. Analysis was performed from March 15 to September 30 and compared the years 2019 and 2020. Effects on mortality and adverse allograft events were compared with COVID-19-attributed effects. Results A total of 7725 patients were included in the final analysis. Admissions declined in 2020 by 17%, with the main dip during a 3-month lockdown (-31%) but without a subsequent rebound. Incidences for hospitalization did not increase for any investigated disease entities, whereas decreasing trends were noted for non-COVID-19 pulmonary and urogenital infections (incidence rate ratio 0.8, 95% CI, 0.62 to 1.03, and 0.82, 95% CI, 0.65 to 1.04, respectively). Non-COVID-19 hospital stays were 0.6 days shorter (P=0.03) and not complicated by increased dialysis, ventilation, or intensive care treatment rates. In-hospital and 90-day mortality remained stable. Incidences of severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization was 0.09 per 1000 patient-days, and in-hospital mortality was 9%. A third (31%) of patients with calcineurin-inhibitor medication and without being hospitalized for COVID-19 reduced doses by at least 25%, which was associated with an increased allograft rejection risk (adjusted hazard ratio 1.29, 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.63). COVID-19 caused 17% of all deaths but had no significant association with allograft rejections. All-cause mortality remained stable (incidence rate ratio 1.15, 95% CI, 0.91 to 1.46), also when restricting analysis to patients with no or outpatient-treated COVID-19 (0.97, 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.25). Conclusion Despite significant collateral effects, mortality remained unchanged during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Considerable temporary reductions in admissions are safe, whereas reducing immunosuppression results in increased allograft rejection risk.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christian Günster
- Research Institute of the Local Health Care Funds (WIdO), Berlin, Germany
| | - Tobias B. Huber
- III. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Melissa Spoden
- Research Institute of the Local Health Care Funds (WIdO), Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian Grahammer
- III. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany,University Transplant Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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42
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Ahmed F, Abid M, Maniya T, Usman MS, Fudim M. Incidence and prognosis of COVID-19 amongst heart transplant recipients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Prev Cardiol 2021; 29:e224-e226. [PMID: 34757386 PMCID: PMC8689985 DOI: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwab175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Furqan Ahmed
- Department of Medicine, Dow University of Health Sciences, Mission Rd, Saddar, 74200 Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Minaam Abid
- Department of Medicine, Dow University of Health Sciences, Mission Rd, Saddar, 74200 Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Talha Maniya
- Department of Medicine, Ziauddin University, Shahrah-e-Ghalib Rd, Block 6 Clifton, 74200 Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Shariq Usman
- Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA
| | - Marat Fudim
- Division of Cardiology, Duke University Medical Center, 2301 Ervin Rd, NC 27710, Durham, USA.,Duke Clinical Research Institute, NC 27701, Durham, USA
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López-Vilella R, Sánchez-Lázaro I, Trenado VD, Edo SL, Dolz LM, Bonet LA. COVID-19 and Heart Transplantation. Initial Experience in a Tertiary Hospital. Transplant Proc 2021; 53:2743-2746. [PMID: 34598811 PMCID: PMC8418905 DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2021.07.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus that is affecting the entire world population. The objective of this study was to analyze the repercussion of the disease in a group of patients at risk such as heart transplant recipients. METHODS From February 2020 to February 2021, heart transplant recipients diagnosed with COVID-19 were consecutively included. The total number of transplant recipients in outpatient follow-up at that time was 381. Three levels of infection were determined: group A: asymptomatic patients or with trivial symptoms without the need for hospital admission (6 patients); group B: patients admitted to the hospital for respiratory symptoms (12 patients); and group C: patients with severe symptoms and need for admission to the critical care unit (2 patients). At each risk level, medical performance was different: group A: close control, no therapeutic modification; group B: reduction of calcineurin inhibitor and substitution of mycophenolate mofetil for everolimus; group C: reduction of calcineurin inhibitor and withdrawal of mycophenolate mofetil. RESULTS The prevalence of infection in the series was 5.2%. Most patients admitted had a pathologic chest x-ray with fever, cough, dyspnea, or vomiting. The change in immunosuppression performed in patients in group 2 was well tolerated and there was no graft rejection. Antiviral treatment was little used. However, boluses of steroids and some antibiotics were used frequently. The need for supplemental oxygen was 50% in group 2 and 100% in group 3. CONCLUSIONS A significant number of transplant recipients will be affected by COVID-19 (5.3%). Management of the infection will depend on the severity of the infection and must be based on a balance between reduction and adjustment of immunosuppression, strict control of the cardiologic situation, and treatment of the infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel López-Vilella
- Heart Failure and Transplant Unit, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Department of Cardiology, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Address correspondence to Dr Raquel López-Vilella. Heart Failure and Transplantation Unit, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, Avenida Fernando Abril Martorell, 106, Valencia 46026, Spain. Tel: (+34) 615884883
| | - Ignacio Sánchez-Lázaro
- Heart Failure and Transplant Unit, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Department of Cardiology, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Víctor Donoso Trenado
- Heart Failure and Transplant Unit, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Department of Cardiology, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain
| | - Silvia Lozano Edo
- Department of Cardiology, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain
| | - Luis Martínez Dolz
- Department of Cardiology, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Almenar Bonet
- Heart Failure and Transplant Unit, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Department of Cardiology, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain,Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
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SARS-CoV-2 infection in heart transplant recipients: a systematic literature review of clinical outcomes and immunosuppression strategies. Heart Fail Rev 2021; 27:1653-1663. [PMID: 34671872 PMCID: PMC8528562 DOI: 10.1007/s10741-021-10181-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on heart transplant recipients is unknown. Literature is limited to case reports and series. The purpose of this study is to identify the clinical features, outcomes, and immunosuppression strategies of heart transplant recipients with COVID-19 infection. A systematic review was conducted using the search term "Coronavirus" or COVID," "SARS-CoV-2," "cardiac transplantation," and "heart transplant." Case reports and retrospective studies were gathered by searching Medline/PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Web of Science. Thirty-three articles were selected for review. We identified 74 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in heart transplant and heart-kidney transplant recipients. The mean age was 60.5 ± 15.8 years, and 82.4% were males with median time from transplant of 6.5 years. Commonest symptoms were fever, cough, and dyspnea, but new left ventricular (LV) dysfunction was rare. Leukocytosis, lymphopenia, elevated inflammatory markers, and bilateral ground-glass opacities were common. Mortality was high, with particularly poor survival in patients who required intensive care unit (ICU) admission and older patients. Immunosuppression involved discontinuation of antimetabolites and steroids. COVID-19 infection in heart transplant (HT) recipients presents similarly to the general population, but new onset of LV dysfunction is uncommon. Immunosuppression strategies include increase in corticosteroids and discontinuation of antimetabolites.
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Rosano G, Jankowska EA, Ray R, Metra M, Abdelhamid M, Adamopoulos S, Anker SD, Bayes‐Genis A, Belenkov Y, Gal TB, Böhm M, Chioncel O, Cohen‐Solal A, Farmakis D, Filippatos G, González A, Gustafsson F, Hill L, Jaarsma T, Jouhra F, Lainscak M, Lambrinou E, Lopatin Y, Lund LH, Milicic D, Moura B, Mullens W, Piepoli MF, Ponikowski P, Rakisheva A, Ristic A, Savarese G, Seferovic P, Senni M, Thum T, Tocchetti CG, Van Linthout S, Volterrani M, Coats AJ. COVID-19 vaccination in patients with heart failure: a position paper of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology. Eur J Heart Fail 2021; 23:1806-1818. [PMID: 34612556 PMCID: PMC8652673 DOI: 10.1002/ejhf.2356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with heart failure (HF) who contract SARS‐CoV‐2 infection are at a higher risk of cardiovascular and non‐cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Regardless of therapeutic attempts in COVID‐19, vaccination remains the most promising global approach at present for controlling this disease. There are several concerns and misconceptions regarding the clinical indications, optimal mode of delivery, safety and efficacy of COVID‐19 vaccines for patients with HF. This document provides guidance to all healthcare professionals regarding the implementation of a COVID‐19 vaccination scheme in patients with HF. COVID‐19 vaccination is indicated in all patients with HF, including those who are immunocompromised (e.g. after heart transplantation receiving immunosuppressive therapy) and with frailty syndrome. It is preferable to vaccinate against COVID‐19 patients with HF in an optimal clinical state, which would include clinical stability, adequate hydration and nutrition, optimized treatment of HF and other comorbidities (including iron deficiency), but corrective measures should not be allowed to delay vaccination. Patients with HF who have been vaccinated against COVID‐19 need to continue precautionary measures, including the use of facemasks, hand hygiene and social distancing. Knowledge on strategies preventing SARS‐CoV‐2 infection (including the COVID‐19 vaccination) should be included in the comprehensive educational programmes delivered to patients with HF.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ewa A. Jankowska
- Institute of Heart DiseasesWrocław Medical UniversityWrocławPoland
| | - Robin Ray
- Cardiology Clinical Academic GroupMolecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George's, University of London, St George's HospitalLondonUK
| | - Marco Metra
- Institute of CardiologyASST Spedali Civili di Brescia and Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of BresciaBresciaItaly
| | - Magdy Abdelhamid
- Faculty of Medicine, Kasr Al Ainy, Department of CardiologyCairo UniversityGizaEgypt
| | - Stamatis Adamopoulos
- Heart Failure ‐ Transplant ‐ Mechanical Circulatory Support UnitOnassis Cardiac Surgery CenterAthensGreece
| | - Stefan D. Anker
- Department of Cardiology (CVK)and Berlin Institute of Health Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) partner site Berlin, Charité UniversitätsmedizinBerlinGermany
| | - Antoni Bayes‐Genis
- Heart Institute, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona & CIBERCV, Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIMadridSpain
| | - Yury Belenkov
- I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University)MoscowRussia
| | - Tuvia B. Gal
- Department of Cardiology, Rabin Medical CenterPetah Tikva, Israel, & Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | - Michael Böhm
- Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Klinik für Innere Medizin III, Saarland University, Kardiologie, Angiologie und Internistische IntensivmedizinHomburg/SaarGermany
| | - Ovidiu Chioncel
- Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases ‘Prof. C.C. Iliescu’, University of Medicine Carol DavilaBucharestRomania
| | - Alain Cohen‐Solal
- UMR‐S 942 Research UnitParis University, Lariboisiere Hospital, Cardiology Department, AP‐HPParisFrance
| | | | - Gerasimos Filippatos
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, University Hospital AttikonAthensGreece
| | - Arantxa González
- Program of Cardiovascular Diseases, CIMA Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA and CIBERCVPamplonaSpain
| | - Finn Gustafsson
- Department of CardiologyUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Loreena Hill
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, Queen's University, BelfastNorthern IrelandUK
| | - Tiny Jaarsma
- Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping UniversityLinköpingSweden
| | - Fadi Jouhra
- Cardiology Clinical Academic GroupMolecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George's, University of London, St George's HospitalLondonUK
| | - Mitja Lainscak
- Division of CardiologyGeneral Hospital Murska Sobota, Murska Sobota, Slovenia, & Faculty of Medicine, University of LjubljanaLjubljanaSlovenia
| | - Ekaterini Lambrinou
- Department of NursingSchool of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of TechnologyLimassolCyprus
| | - Yury Lopatin
- Volgograd State Medical University, Regional Cardiology CentreVolgogradRussian Federation
| | - Lars H. Lund
- Department of MedicineKarolinska Institutet, and Heart and Vascular Theme, Karolinska University HospitalStockholmSweden
| | - Davor Milicic
- University of Zagreb School of MedicineZagrebCroatia
| | - Brenda Moura
- Armed Forces Hospital, Porto, & Faculty of Medicine, University of PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Wilfried Mullens
- Cardiovascular Physiology, Hasselt University, Belgium, & Heart Failure and Cardiac Rehabilitation Specialist, Ziekenhuis Oost‐LimburgGenkBelgium
| | - Massimo F. Piepoli
- Cardiac UnitGuglielmo da Saliceto Hospital, University of ParmaPiacenzaItaly
| | - Piotr Ponikowski
- Institute of Heart DiseasesWrocław Medical UniversityWrocławPoland
| | - Amina Rakisheva
- Department of CardiologyScientific Institution of Cardiology and Internal DiseasesAlmatyKazakhstan
| | - Arsen Ristic
- Department of CardiologyUniversity Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade University School of MedicineBelgradeSerbia
| | - Gianluigi Savarese
- Department of MedicineKarolinska Institutet, and Heart and Vascular Theme, Karolinska University HospitalStockholmSweden
| | - Petar Seferovic
- Department Faculty of MedicineUniversity of Belgrade, Belgrade & Serbian Academy of Sciences and ArtsBelgradeSerbia
| | - Michele Senni
- Cardiovascular Department, Cardiology 1 UnitPapa Giovanni XXIII Hospital Bergamo, University of Milano ‐ BicoccaBergamoItaly
| | - Thomas Thum
- Institute of Molecular and Therapeutic Strategies, Hannover & Fraunhofer Institute of Toxicology and Experimental MedicineHannoverGermany
| | - Carlo G. Tocchetti
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Center for Basic and Clinical Immunology Research (CISI), Interdepartmental Center of Clinical and Translational Sciences (CIRCET)Interdepartmental Hypertension Research Center (CIRIAPA), Federico II UniversityNaplesItaly
| | - Sophie Van Linthout
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité ‐ Universitätmedizin Berlin, BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies, Berlin, German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner site BerlinBerlinGermany
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Ungerman E, Jayaraman AL, Patel B, Khoche S, Subramanian H, Bartels S, Knight J, Gelzinis TA. The Year in Cardiothoracic Transplant Anesthesia: Selected Highlights From 2020 Part II: Cardiac Transplantation. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2021; 36:390-402. [PMID: 34657796 DOI: 10.1053/j.jvca.2021.09.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Ungerman
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Arun L Jayaraman
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Bhoumesh Patel
- Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Swapnil Khoche
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, CA
| | - Harikesh Subramanian
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Steven Bartels
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL
| | - Joshua Knight
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
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Mihalj M, Mosbahi S, Schmidli J, Heinisch PP, Reineke D, Schoenhoff F, Kadner A, Schefold JC, Räber L, Potapov EV, Luedi MM. Providing safe perioperative care in cardiac surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol 2021; 35:321-332. [PMID: 34511222 PMCID: PMC7826053 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpa.2021.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has potentiated the need for implementation of strict safety measures in the medical care of surgical patients - and especially in cardiac surgery patients, who are at a higher risk of COVID-19-associated morbidity and mortality. Such measures not only require minimization of patients' exposure to COVID-19 but also careful balancing of the risks of postponing nonemergent surgical procedures and providing appropriate and timely surgical care. We provide an overview of current evidence for preoperative strategies used in cardiac surgery patients, including risk stratification, telemedicine, logistical challenges during inpatient care, appropriate screening capacity, and decision-making on when to safely operate on COVID-19 patients. Further, we focus on perioperative measures such as safe operating room management and address the dilemma over when to perform cardiovascular surgical procedures in patients at risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maks Mihalj
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Selim Mosbahi
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Juerg Schmidli
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Paul Philipp Heinisch
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - David Reineke
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Florian Schoenhoff
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Alexander Kadner
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Joerg C Schefold
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Lorenz Räber
- Department of Cardiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Evgenij V Potapov
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, German Heart Center, Berlin, Germany; DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Markus M Luedi
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland.
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Bhatt AS, Adler ED, Albert NM, Anyanwu A, Bhadelia N, Cooper LT, Correa A, Defilippis EM, Joyce E, Sauer AJ, Solomon SD, Vardeny O, Yancy C, Lala A. Coronavirus Disease-2019 and Heart Failure: A Scientific Statement From the Heart Failure Society of America. J Card Fail 2021; 28:93-112. [PMID: 34481067 PMCID: PMC8408888 DOI: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2021.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ankeet S Bhatt
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Eric D Adler
- Department of Cardiology, University of California, San Diego, California
| | - Nancy M Albert
- Nursing Institute and Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute; Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Anelechi Anyanwu
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Mount Sinai Health System, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Nahid Bhadelia
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research (CEID), Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Leslie T Cooper
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Ashish Correa
- Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Ersilia M Defilippis
- Division of Cardiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Emer Joyce
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mater University Hospital, and School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland
| | - Andrew J Sauer
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Scott D Solomon
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Orly Vardeny
- Center for Care Delivery and Outcomes Research, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, and University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
| | - Clyde Yancy
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Anuradha Lala
- Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
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ACE2, the Counter-Regulatory Renin-Angiotensin System Axis and COVID-19 Severity. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10173885. [PMID: 34501332 PMCID: PMC8432177 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10173885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Angiotensin (ANG)-converting enzyme (ACE2) is an entry receptor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ACE2 also contributes to a deviation of the lung renin-angiotensin system (RAS) towards its counter-regulatory axis, thus transforming harmful ANG II to protective ANG (1-7). Based on this purported ACE2 double function, it has been put forward that the benefit from ACE2 upregulation with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi) counterbalances COVID-19 risks due to counter-regulatory RAS axis amplification. In this manuscript we discuss the relationship between ACE2 expression and function in the lungs and other organs and COVID-19 severity. Recent data suggested that the involvement of ACE2 in the lung counter-regulatory RAS axis is limited. In this setting, an augmentation of ACE2 expression and/or a dissociation of ACE2 from the ANG (1-7)/Mas pathways that leaves unopposed the ACE2 function, the SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor, predisposes to more severe disease and it appears to often occur in the relevant risk factors. Further, the effect of RAASi on ACE2 expression and on COVID-19 severity and the overall clinical implications are discussed.
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50
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Hallett AM, Greenberg RS, Boyarsky BJ, Shah PD, Ou MT, Teles AT, Krach MR, López JI, Werbel WA, Avery RK, Bae S, Tobian AA, Massie AB, Higgins RSD, Garonzik-Wang JM, Segev DL, Bush EL. SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA vaccine antibody response and reactogenicity in heart and lung transplant recipients. J Heart Lung Transplant 2021; 40:1579-1588. [PMID: 34456108 PMCID: PMC8349311 DOI: 10.1016/j.healun.2021.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background While several studies have observed that solid organ transplant recipients experience diminished antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination, data specific to heart and lung transplant (HT/LT) recipients remains sparse. Methods US adult HT and LT recipients completed their vaccine series between January 7 and April 10, 2021. Reactogencity and SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike antibody were assessed after a priming dose (D1) and booster dose (D2). Modified Poisson regression with robust variance estimator was used to evaluate associations between participant characteristics and antibody development. Results Of 134 heart recipients, there were 38% non-responders (D1-/D2-), 48% booster responders (D1-/D2+), and 14% priming dose responders (D1+/D2+). Of 103 lung recipients, 64% were non-responders, 27% were booster responders, and 9% were priming dose responders. Lung recipients were less likely to develop antibodies (p < .001). Priming dose antibody response was associated with younger recipient age (p = .04), transplant-to-vaccination time ≥6 years (p < .01), and lack of anti-metabolite maintenance immunosuppression (p < .001). Pain at injection site was the most commonly reported reaction (85% after D1, 76% after D2). Serious reactions were rare, the most common being fatigue (2% after D1 and 3% after D2). No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusions HT and LT recipients experienced diminished antibody response following vaccination; reactogenicity was comparable to that of the general population. LT recipients may exhibit a more impaired antibody response than HT recipients. While current recommendations are to vaccinate eligible candidates and recipients, further studies characterizing the cell-mediated immune response and clinical efficacy of these vaccines in this population are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Hallett
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ross S Greenberg
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Brian J Boyarsky
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Pali D Shah
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Michael T Ou
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Aura T Teles
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Michelle R Krach
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Julia I López
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - William A Werbel
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Robin K Avery
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Sunjae Bae
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Aaron A Tobian
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Allan B Massie
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Robert S D Higgins
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | - Dorry L Segev
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Errol L Bush
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
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