COVID‐19 in solid organ transplant recipients: initial report from the US epicenter

MR Pereira, S Mohan, DJ Cohen… - American journal of …, 2020 - Wiley Online Library
MR Pereira, S Mohan, DJ Cohen, SA Husain, GK Dube, LE Ratner, S Arcasoy, MM Aversa…
American journal of transplantation, 2020Wiley Online Library
Solid organ transplant recipients may be at a high risk for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and poor
associated outcomes. We herein report our initial experience with solid organ transplant
recipients with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection at two centers during the first 3 weeks of the outbreak
in New York City. Baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, antiviral and
immunosuppressive management were compared between patients with mild/moderate and
severe disease (defined as ICU admission, intubation or death). Ninety patients were …
Solid organ transplant recipients may be at a high risk for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and poor associated outcomes. We herein report our initial experience with solid organ transplant recipients with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection at two centers during the first 3 weeks of the outbreak in New York City. Baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, antiviral and immunosuppressive management were compared between patients with mild/moderate and severe disease (defined as ICU admission, intubation or death). Ninety patients were analyzed with a median age of 57 years. Forty‐six were kidney recipients, 17 lung, 13 liver, 9 heart, and 5 dual‐organ transplants. The most common presenting symptoms were fever (70%), cough (59%), and dyspnea (43%). Twenty‐two (24%) had mild, 41 (46%) moderate, and 27 (30%) severe disease. Among the 68 hospitalized patients, 12% required non‐rebreather and 35% required intubation. 91% received hydroxychloroquine, 66% azithromycin, 3% remdesivir, 21% tocilizumab, and 24% bolus steroids. Sixteen patients died (18% overall, 24% of hospitalized, 52% of ICU) and 37 (54%) were discharged. In this initial cohort, transplant recipients with COVID‐19 appear to have more severe outcomes, although testing limitations likely led to undercounting of mild/asymptomatic cases. As this outbreak unfolds, COVID‐19 has the potential to severely impact solid organ transplant recipients.
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