Pandemics of COVID-19 have wreaked havoc on Latin America. It has resulted not just in SARS-CoV-2-related clinical results, but also in social and economic decline. As a result, it had a substantial negative influence on organ donation and kidney transplantation (KTx) activities in many regions, resulting in a detrimental impact on the survival and quality of life of the patients. For a study, researchers sought to outline relevant logistical, organizational, and clinical solutions for mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on kidney donation and transplantation in the region.
In Latin America, absenteeism from hemodialysis sessions had been reported to be as high as 54% in patients with end-stage renal disease. Not unexpectedly, there was a decrease in organ donation and transplants ranging from 21% to 59%. Furthermore, the waiting list group had a larger rate of COVID-19 positive testing than KTx beneficiaries (9.9%). However, KTx patients had a greater death rate than the waiting list population (32%). Furthermore, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 59% of live donor kidney transplant programs halted the examination of new donors.
Throughout the manuscript, researchers summarized some practical tips for resuming organ donation and KTx during pandemics in Latin America, such as selecting healthy donors and recipients, universal SARS-CoV-2 screening, implementing COVID-19 accessible pathways, telehealth as a standard, and deferring all non-urgent visits.
Reference:link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11934-021-01076-4
