Organ transplantation management in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak: a synopsis
Bohan Zhang, Lyu-Nan Yan, Jia-Yin Yang
Abstract
On December 8, 2019, the first case of unexplained pneumonia was reported in China, in Wuhan, Hubei Province (1). By March 6, 2020, over 100,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 , and more than 3,400 deaths have been reported worldwide (data from National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Official Channels of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and World Health Organization). COVID-19, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is bound to have widespread ramifications on the clinical management system, organ transplantation being a prime example. Patients on the transplant waitlist are generally in poor condition. Moreover, post-transplant patients with weak immunity stemming from the long-term and regular administration of immunosuppressants are more likely to contract the SARS-CoV-2 infection than are healthy individuals. Thus, when considering transplant patient safety, balancing organ allocation principles with epidemic prevention and control is a dilemma for transplant teams.