Are Kidneys from SARS-CoV-2–Infected Donors Safe to Transplant?

In a large case series, no donor-to-recipient SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurred, and most outcomes were comparable to those in recipients from noninfected donors.

Among recipients of transplanted nonlung organs, donor-derived SARS-CoV-2 infection has not been reported. Limited information is available on other outcomes when transplanting organs from SARS-CoV-2–infected donors — particularly when a deceased donor died with COVID-19 — as organs from potential donors with critical disease are less commonly procured. Researchers now describe short-term outcomes in recipients of kidneys from donors with varying COVID-19 severities.

At a single U.S. center from February 2021 through January 2022, 220 kidney transplants were performed from 161 donors. Among these donors, 68 were SARS-CoV-2 infected (33 of whom died due to COVID-19). Because SARS-CoV-2–infected donors were more likely to donate two kidneys, 5…

Reviewing Author

Daniel Kaul, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNobelpharma; Pfizer

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Transplantation (Program Committee)

Daniel Kaul, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNobelpharma; Pfizer

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Transplantation (Program Committee)

Are Kidneys from SARS-CoV-2–Infected Donors Safe to Transplant?

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Reviewing Author