TID Recommendations for Organ Donation and Transplantation after COVID-19 - October 2022

Lead author: Stephanie Pouch
Co-authors: Wanessa Trrindade Clemente, Marcelo Radisic
Review and editing: Ban Hock Tan

Council’s note: In this update, we focus primarily on the question of donors and recipients who are having or have recently had COVID-19. The previous updates are considered archived.

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on donor evaluation and organ procurement.1 As the virus entrenches itself, the risk of donor-derived infection must be balanced with the risk of morbidity and mortality while remaining on the transplant waitlist. Decisions to proceed with organ transplant locally must balance the existing capacity of the center, availability of testing for donors and candidates, and sufficient capacity to provide adequate occupational protection to recovery and transplant staff.2

The recommendations in this document are based upon current peer-reviewed literature and public health data and represent a consensus opinion from TID Council, all of whom are practicing clinicians. Given that knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, the recommendations contained in this document are subject to change. Additionally, the authors recognize that access to diagnostic assays may vary globally, particularly in resource-limited settings, and local approaches to donor evaluation may need to be adopted accordingly.


Executive Summary
Abbreviations and Definitions
SARS-CoV-2 Diagnostic Testing
Screening of Potential Deceased Donors and Considerations for Organ Acceptance
Screening of Potential Living Donors and Considerations for Organ Acceptance
Comments on COVID-19 and Surgical Procedures
Look-Back Investigations and Monitoring
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis and Empiric Antiviral Treatment
Informed Consent Form for Patients Receiving Organs from Donors with COVID-19
Recipient Screening and Considerations for Candidates with a History of COVID-19
Tables and Figures
References

Contact

Staff Directory
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sections@tts.org

Address

Transplant Infectious Disease
c/o The Transplantation Society
740 Notre-Dame Ouest
Suite 1245
Montréal, QC, H3C 3X6
Canada