Impact on the Solid Organ Transplant Waiting List During the Covid-19 Pandemic: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Introduction: With the Covid-19 pandemic, many medical procedures underwent significant changes due to the reallocation of resources to patients infected with Sars-Cov-2. The logistics of transplants were directly affected, with important repercussions for the patient on the waiting list for a new organ. Objective: This review seeks to analyze the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the logistics of solid organ availability and volume of transplants. Methods: An integrative search of articles with the descriptors “Covid ORSars-Cov-2”, “COVID-19”, “Transplant”, “Donor”, “Waiting list”, and “Organ donation” in PubMed and Web of Science was performed. Only articles on pancreas, heart, liver, kidney and intestine transplantation that addressed one of the following topics were considered: availability of donors, volume and time on the waiting list, mortality of patients on the waiting list, and volume of transplants performed. Results: Of the 68 articles found, 49 of them were multicentric. Among all 68, 29 made a statement concerning donor volume, 42 concerning transplant volume, 18 about mortality on the transplant waiting list, 15 concerning the volume on the waiting list, and 4 regarding time on the waiting list. Thus, with such data, in general, it was possible to observe a decrease in the volume of donors and the volume of transplants, besides a reduction in addition to the waiting list and an increase both in the waiting time for transplantation and in the mortality of the patients waiting for the transplant. Conclusion: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has directly influenced the logistics of solid organ transplants globally. The reasons that led to this fact are related to the decrease in the availability of ICU beds, contamination of the donor by the virus, and strict protocols to prevent the transmission of the virus.