Impact of Timely Public Health Measures on Kidney Transplantation in Austria during the SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak-A Nationwide Analysis

Results of the first nationwide cohort study of outcomes in dialysis and kidney transplant patients before and after vaccination for COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Patients on kidney replacement therapy (KRT) have been identified as a vulnerable group during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study reports the outcomes of COVID-19 in KRT patients in Sweden, a country where patients on KRT were prioritized early in the vaccination campaign.

METHODS

Patients on KRT between January 2019 and December 2021 in the Swedish Renal Registry were included. Data were linked to national healthcare registries. The primary outcome was monthly all-cause mortality over 3 years of follow-up. The secondary outcomes were monthly COVID-19-related deaths and hospitalizations. The results were compared with the general population using standardized mortality ratios. The difference in risk for COVID-19-related outcomes between dialysis and kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) was assessed in multivariable logistic regression models before and after vaccinations started.

RESULTS

On 1 January 2020, there were 4097 patients on dialysis (median age 70 years) and 5905 KTRs (median age 58 years). Between March 2020 and February 2021, mean all-cause mortality rates increased by 10% (from 720 to 804 deaths) and 22% (from 158 to 206 deaths) in dialysis and KTRs, respectively, compared with the same period in 2019. After vaccinations started, all-cause mortality rates during the third wave (April 2021) returned to pre-COVID-19 mortality rates among dialysis patients, while mortality rates remained increased among transplant recipients. Dialysis patients had a higher risk for COVID-19 hospitalizations and death before vaccinations started {adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.1 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7-2.5]} but a lower risk after vaccination [aOR 0.5 (95% CI 0.4-0.7)] compared with KTRs.

CONCLUSIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden resulted in increased mortality and hospitalization rates among KRT patients. After vaccinations started, a distinct reduction in hospitalization and mortality rates was observed among dialysis patients, but not in KTRs. Early and prioritized vaccinations of KRT patients in Sweden probably saved many lives.

Impact of COVID-19 on the number of transplants performed in Brazil during the pandemic. Current situation

The intense use of resources to combat COVID-19 causes concern in the entire transplant community because, in addition to physical limitations such as ICU beds, lack of homogeneous treatment protocols and uncertainties about the effects of immunosuppression on viral progression have significant impact on transplant surgeries. The aim of the present study is to comparatively assess the number of solid organ transplants performed in 2019 and 2020, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on organ donation and transplant surgeries in Brazil. The last 10 years have shown increasing trend in the number of solid organ transplants, which have significantly decreased in 2020. Lung transplantations were mostly affected by the pandemic; these surgeries have been carried out only in Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo states. Liver transplantations were the least affected ones, since the number of surgeries have only decreased by 10.8% in the first three quarters of 2020, in comparison to 2019. The number of active patients on the waiting list for heart and kidney transplantation has increased in 2020. Therefore, it is necessary developing strategies to keep the structure necessary for organ transplantation processes active and, consequently, to reduce the impacts of the pandemic on these patients.

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

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