Coronavirus Pandemic: Patients Forced To Wait Longer As Outbreak Delays Organ Transplants

Patients waiting to receive a donated organ to save their lives are facing new challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. The coronavirus outbreak has worsened the already existing shortage of donors.

If someone on the donor list contracts the virus and dies, their organs will no longer be an option for a person who desperately needs it to live. There is a big concern that the virus will get transmitted from the donor to the patient.

Transplant recipients taking immunosuppressive drugs might also be at a higher risk of infection from viruses. They are advised to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s guidelines on how to avoid contracting germs.

“We do not have specific information on whether COVID-19 infection will be more severe in transplant recipients compared to healthy people; however, other viruses often cause more severe disease in people whose immune system is low, such as transplant recipients,” the National Kidney Foundation quoted the American Society of Transplantation’s statement.

The pressure on intensive care units puts organ transplants at great risk. Also, several hospitals are struggling to operate while the coronavirus epidemic continues. Both donors, as well as the recipients, require a high level of care. It is a matter of life and death for patients waiting for organ transplants. It might be worrisome for these patients to go to hospitals where there are coronavirus patients. Since these patients on the waitlist are no longer monitored as often as they were, it could also make them sicker.

“When I hear from other countries that have been at the center of this COVID-19 pandemic, they have got to the point where no transplant is possible in certain regions at all. We may get to that point, and we may get to that point in the next days or weeks. But we are working very hard to keep organ donation and transplant open for as long as possible, accepting the safety of our patients is paramount,” BBC quoted Prof John Forsyth, medical director for transplant and organ donation at NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).

The biggest tragedy is that the suspension of transplant surgeries isn’t always due to the lack of capacity to handle them but, rather, a side effect of the lack of protective equipment.