[COVID-19 after heart transplantation: experiences from a German transplantation center]

The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV‑2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2) has led to hospitalizations and increased mortality worldwide. With potentially high prevalence and severity of COVID-19 in cardiac transplantation, there is a great need to generate data in this at-risk cohort.

We report here our experience with COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) in heart transplant recipients at a German transplantation center longitudinally over the previous pandemic waves and place it in context to published experiences of other centers.

All adult patients who had received a heart transplant at our center and had confirmed COVID-19 infection (n = 12) were included and retrospectively characterized.

The mean age was 61.5 (49-63) years, and the majority were male (83%). Comorbidities such as diabetes (42%), arterial hypertension (43%), and chronic renal failure (67%) were found. Passive immunization (convalescent plasma/monoclonal antibodies) was performed in 50%. Oxygen administration was required in 33% of patients; only one patient required noninvasive ventilation (8%), and no patient required invasive ventilation or mechanical cardiovascular support (ECMO). No new cardiovascular or thromboembolic events were found.

We could longitudinally not detect severe courses or increased mortality of COVID-19 in heart transplant patients. Prospective studies are needed to make better prognostic estimates of COVID-19 in (heart) transplant patients in the future.