Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Solid Organ Transplantation During 2020 in Poland Compared with Countries in Western Europe, Asia, and North America: A Review

A New Routine Immunity Score (RIS2020) to Predict Severe Infection in Solid-Organ Transplant Recipients

BACKGROUND Infection is a cause of morbidity and mortality in solid-organ transplantation (SOT). We evaluated a new score that is applied during the first month after transplantation. The score comprises biomarkers of innate and acquired immunity to predict infections in SOT. MATERIAL AND METHODS Prospectively collected blood samples from 377 heart, liver, or kidney recipients were analyzed at 2 centers in Madrid (Spain) and Lima (Peru). Biomarkers were tested before transplantation and at days 7 and 30 after transplantation. During the first 6 months after transplantation, 183 (48.5%) patients developed severe infections (bacterial infections and/or CMV disease). Risk for severe infection was assessed using logistic regression analysis. We designed a score, the routine immunity score (RIS2020), which is based on the sum of the hazard ratios (HRs) of each biomarker. RESULTS The risk factors for severe infection were as follows: Moderate IgG hypogammaglobulinemia (IgG <600 mg/dL at days 7 or 30, HR 2.07, 95% CI 1.37-3.12, p=0.0005, 2 points), CD4 <400 cells/uL at day 30 (HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.03-3.04, p=0.039, 2 points), C3 <80 mg/dL at day 30 (HR 2.18, 95%CI 1.16-4.06, p=0.014, 2 points), and CRP >3 mg/dL at day 30 (HR 2.11, 95% CI 1.12-3.97, p=0.02, 2 points). In patients with ≥4 points, the HR for infection was 5.18 (95% CI 3.06-8.75; p<0.001). RIS2020 was an independent predictor of severe infection in multivariate models. CONCLUSIONS An immunological score combining moderate IgG hypogammaglobulinemia and other parameters of innate and acquired immunity could better identify the risk for severe infection in SOT.

Understanding the work-related challenges of organ and tissue donation coordinators during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-method study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to explore the perceptions of donation coordinators in Canada and understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their work activities.

DESIGN

A sequential mixed-method design incorporating a cross-sectional survey investigating demographic data, substance use and abuse and perceived stress related to the pandemic and semistructured qualitative interviews to further investigate those.

SETTING

Organ donation organisations across Canada.

PARTICIPANTS

Canadian organ and tissue donation coordinators working within deceased donation programmes. Participants were recruited using a purposive sampling technique for the survey and qualitative interviews. Recruitment and data collection took place between January 2022 and March 2023.

ANALYSIS

The data were analysed using descriptive statistics for the quantitative findings and content analysis for the qualitative data.

RESULTS

Of the 175 available coordinators, 120 participated in the survey, and 39 participated in the qualitative interviews. The great majority were female (n=98; 81.7%), registered nurses (n=117; 97.5%) and on average 42 years old (SD=9.64). The survey result for perceived stress showed that, on average, coordinators did not experience high stress levels during the pandemic. We also identified an increase in the consumption of substances to manage workplace stress near the pandemic's beginning. The qualitative interviews yielded two main themes (Personal Life Changes and Workplace Adjustments) in which coordinators reported their views on challenges with uncertainties, effects on their personal lives, redeployment, stressors and among others.

CONCLUSION

Our study's results provide a comprehensive understanding of the perceptions and experiences of coordinators in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a combination of methods, we identified various ways coordinators were affected by the pandemic in their personal and professional lives. These findings highlight the need to support the development of adaptive strategies and promote resilience during crises.

How COVID-19 has changed the utilization of different health care services in Poland

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected health care systems in many ways, including access to and the use of non-COVID services. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the pandemic on the utilization of different public health care services in Poland.

METHODS

The aggregated data on health care users and provided services for the years 2015/2016-2021 were used to analyse the changes in health care utilization during the pandemic and deviations from pre-pandemic utilization trends. Quantitative analysis was complemented with qualitative descriptions of the changes in principles of health care provision during the pandemic.

RESULTS

The results show a considerable drop in the provision of most health care services in 2020 that in some cases disturbed pre-pandemic utilization trends and was not made up for in 2021. The most significant decrease has been observed in the field of preventive and public health services, as well as rehabilitation. The provision of these services was put on hold during the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

The accumulated COVID-19-related "health debt" urgently calls for government actions to strengthen disease prevention and health promotion in Poland.

Beyond donation to organ utilization in the USA

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The deceased donor organ pool has broadened beyond young, otherwise healthy head trauma victims. But an abundance of donated organs only benefits patients if they are accepted, expeditiously transported and actually transplanted. This review focuses on postdonation challenges and opportunities to increase the number of transplants through improved organ utilization.

RECENT FINDINGS

We build upon recently proposed changes in terminology for measuring organ utilization. Among organs recovered for transplant, the nonuse rate (NUR REC ) has risen above 25% for kidneys and pancreata. Among donors, the nonuse rate (NUR DON ) has risen to 40% for livers and exceeds 70% for thoracic organs. Programme-level variation in offer acceptance rates vastly exceeds variation in the traditional, 1-year survival benchmark. Key opportunities to boost utilization include donation after circulatory death and hepatitis C virus (HCV)+ organs; acute kidney injury and suboptimal biopsy kidneys; older and steatotic livers.

SUMMARY

Underutilization of less-than-ideal, yet transplant-worthy organs remains an obstacle to maximizing the impact of the U.S. transplant system. The increased risk of inferior posttransplant outcomes must always be weighed against the risks of remaining on the waitlist. Advanced perfusion technologies; tuning allocation systems for placement efficiency; and data-driven clinical decision support have the potential to increase utilization of medically complex organs.

Liver transplantation from a SARS-COV-2-positive donor: A road ahead or not

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a remarkable impact on the field of liver transplantation. Increasing evidence demonstrates a minimal risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from non-lung donors who test positive for SARS-CoV-2; however, the risks of donor-derived SARS-CoV-2 from liver donors are unknown. We present our experience with two cases in which a liver was transplanted successfully from a brain-dead donor with incidental SARS-CoV-2 infection. Both donors were asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2-positive with negative bronchoalveolar lavage polymerase chain reaction (BAL PCR) and mechanism of death unrelated to COVID-19. Both the recipients did well after transplant and went home with a well-functioning liver. One patient did get readmitted and was found to be SARS-CoV-2-positive; however, it was probably related to hospital exposure rather than donor-derived. SARS-CoV-2-positive donors in select cases may be used for organ donation and liver transplant is safe for recipients.

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the performance of organ transplant services using data envelopment analysis

Organ transplant is one of the best options for many medical conditions, and in many cases, it may be the only treatment option. Recent evidence suggests, however, that the COVID-19 pandemic might have detrimentally affected the provision of this type of healthcare services. The main purpose of this article is to use Data Envelopment Analysis and the Malmquist Index to assess the impact that the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 had on the provision of solid organ transplant services. To this purpose, we use three complementary models, each focusing on specific aspects of the organ donation and transplantation process, and data from Brazil, which has one of the most extensive public organ transplant programs in the world. Using data from 17 States plus the Federal District, the results of our analysis show a significant drop in the performance of the services in terms of the organ donation and transplantation process from 2018 to 2020, but the results also indicate that not all aspects of the process and States were equally affected. Furthermore, by using different models, this research also allows us to gain a more comprehensive and informative assessment of the performance of the States in delivering this type of service and identify opportunities for reciprocal learning, expanding our knowledge on this important issue and offering opportunities for further research.

Lung transplantation from donation after circulatory death, evolution, and current status in the United States

BACKGROUND

The number of lung transplants from donors after circulatory death has increased over the last decade. This study aimed to describe the evolution and outcomes following lung transplantation donation after circulatory death (DCD) and report the practices and outcomes of ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) in this donor population.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study using a prospectively collected national registry. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database was queried to identify adult patients who underwent lung transplantation between May 1, 2005, and December 31, 2021. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Weibull regression were used to compare survival in four cohorts (donation after brain death [DBD] with or without EVLP, and DCD with or without EVLP). The primary outcome of interest was patient survival.

RESULTS

Of the 21 356 recipients who underwent lung transplantation, 20 380 (95.4%) were from brain death donors and 976 (4.6%) from donors after circulatory death. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no difference in the survival time between the two groups. In a multivariable analysis that controlled for baseline differences in donor and recipient characteristics, recipients who received lungs from cardiac death donors after EVLP had 28% shorter survival time relative to donor lungs after brain death without EVLP (hazard ratio [HR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-2.15, p = .01).

CONCLUSIONS

The early survival differences observed after lung transplants from donors after circulatory death in lungs evaluated with EVLP deserves further investigation.

How COVID-19 Affects Lung Transplantation: A Comprehensive Review

Lung transplant (LuTx) recipients are at a higher risk of developing serious illnesses from COVID-19, and thus, we have closely reviewed the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on lung transplantation. In most transplant centers, the overall LuTx activity significantly declined and led to a specific period of restricting lung transplantation to urgent cases. Moreover, several transplant centers reported difficulties due to the shortage of ICU capacities. The fear of donor-derived transmission generated extensive screening programs. Nevertheless, reasonable concerns about the unnecessary losses of viable organs were also raised. The overall donor shortage resulted in increased waiting-list mortality, and COVID-19-associated ARDS became an indication of lung transplantation. The impact of specific immunosuppressive agents on the severity of COVID-19 varied. Corticosteroid discontinuation was not found to be beneficial for LuTx patients. Tacrolimus concentrations were reported to increase during the SARS-CoV-2 infection, and in combination with remdesivir, tacrolimus may clinically impact renal functions. Monoclonal antibodies were shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization in SOT recipients. However, understanding the pharmacological interactions between the anti-COVID-19 drugs and the immunosuppressive drugs requires further research.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Organ Donation and Transplantation in São Paulo, Brazil

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected donation and transplantation activities in São Paulo, Brazil, as well as the patients receiving these organs. In this study, information from the database of the São Paulo Organ Allocation System was analyzed and compared 2 periods—before the pandemic and during the pandemic—to identify this effect. The COVID-19 pandemic interfered in the mortality rate and the time on the waiting list for heart, liver, pancreas, lung, and kidney transplants; the number of effective donors; and the use or disposal of available organs from deceased donors. It also reduced the transplant activity with living donors. Regarding the activity of eye tissue transplantation, the time on the waiting list increased and the number of transplant procedures decreased. The kidney transplant program was the most affected in our study. There was an increase in waiting time and mortality in the waiting list for this organ and also a decrease in kidney utilization rates.