The possibility of organ transplantation from donors who tested positive for Covid-19, but
presented mild forms of the disease, has been shown to be a viable possibility to reduce the
deficit of donors qualified by current protocols. The successful outcome of a case that took
place in Pará, in the north of Brazil, paves the way for updating the guidelines on
transplantation in the country during the pandemic.
Article: CARVALHO SILVA, C. D. C. de; MOURÃO PANTOJA, G.; DA CRUZ MIGONE, S. R.; DE PAIVA REGO, V.; DE SOUSA MONTEIRO, A. P. Transplante renal de doador com positividade para Sars-CoV-2 no Brasil. BJT, 25(02):e0122.
Full article available at: https://doi.org/10.53855/bjt.v25i2.423_en
Covid-19 and extrapulmonary organ transplantation: is it time to review the protocols?
With advances in research and knowledge about the Coronavirus and its impacts on the human body, the possibility of transplanting organs from donors with suspected or confirmed Covid19 in the asymptomatic or mild form has been discussed. This is because in many countries, including Brazil, the policy of absolute contraindication has drastically reduced the number of qualified donors, while the number of deaths in the waiting lists has increased.
Published in v. 25, n.2 of the Brazilian Journal of Transplantation, the study “Renal Transplantation of a Donor with Positivity for Sars-CoV-2 in Brazil” presented by researchers from the University of the State of Pará, brings a case report of a female recipient, who received a kidney from a RT-PCR positive donor.
After 39 days of stay at the Ophir Loyola Hospital, with good clinical and laboratory evolution, the patient was discharged for outpatient follow-up. During hospitalization, the recipient had no respiratory symptoms and all RT-PCR tests performed were negative over the six consecutive weeks.
The article brings to the national scenario the consideration of the risks and benefits oftransplantation of extrapulmonary organs from donors who had asymptomatic, mild or moderate Covid-19, and who did not die as a result of the disease, since science does not record relevant findings of transmission or damage to the recipient of an extrapulmonary organ of an individual infected with Sars-CoV-2. There was also no infection among the health professionals who performed the surgeries.
With these data, it becomes possible to consider a review of transplant protocols to reduce the donor deficit. Although with limitations, the case in question contributes to the purpose of documentation and continuous analysis to guide transplants during the pandemic, so that no opportunity to save lives is lost.
Read more (References):
Kates, O.S.; Fisher, C.E.; Rakita, R.M.; Reyes, J.D.; Limaye, A.P. “Use of SARS-CoV-2-infected deceased organ donors: Should we always "just say no?"; Am J Transplant, 2020;20(7):1787-94. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajt.16000
Associação Brasileira de Transplante de Órgãos. “Covid-19 e o impacto na doação e transplantes de órgãos e tecidos”. ABTO News. 2020;23(1):1-8.
Links
Universidade do Estado do Pará
Hospital Ophir Loyola
Brazilian Journal of Transplantation