Geographic Differences in Lung Transplant Volume and Donor Availability During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: Transplantation Vol. 105; no. 4; p. 861
• Main Authors: Benvenuto, Luke, Snyder, Mark E, Aversa, Meghan, Patel, Shreena, Costa, Joseph, Shah, Lori, Robbins, Hilary, D'Ovidio, Frank, Sonett, Joshua, Stanifer, Bryan P, Lemaitre, Philippe, Arcasoy, Selim, Anderson, Michaela R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.04.2021
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Cohort Studies; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Female; Humans; Lung Transplantation - statistics & numerical data; Lung Transplantation - trends; Male; Middle Aged; Pandemics; Prevalence; Registries - statistics & numerical data; Retrospective Studies; SARS-CoV-2; Tissue and Organ Procurement - statistics & numerical data; Tissue and Organ Procurement - trends; Tissue Donors - statistics & numerical data; Tissue Donors - supply & distribution; United States - epidemiology; Waiting Lists - mortality; Young Adult; United States
• ISSN: 1534-6080
• DOI: 10.1097/TP.0000000000003600

Regional variation in lung transplantation practices due to local coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevalence may cause geographic disparities in access to lung transplantation. Using the United Network for Organ Sharing registry, we conducted a descriptive analysis of lung transplant volume, donor lung volume, new waitlist activations, and waiting list deaths at high-volume lung transplant centers during the first 3 months of the pandemic (March 1. 2020, to May 30, 2020) and we compared it to the same period in the preceding 5 years. Lung transplant volume decreased by 10% nationally and by a median of 50% in high COVID-19 prevalence centers (range -87% to 80%) compared with a median increase of 10% (range -87% to 80%) in low prevalence centers (P-for-trend 0.006). Donation services areas with high COVID-19 prevalence experienced a greater decrease in organ availability (-28% range, -72% to -11%) compared with low prevalence areas (+7%, range -20% to + 55%, P-for-trend 0.001). Waiting list activations decreased at 18 of 22 centers. Waiting list deaths were similar to the preceding 5 years and independent of local COVID-19 prevalence (P-for-trend 0.36). Regional variation in transplantation and donor availability in the early months of the pandemic varied by local COVID-19 activity.