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Kidney Transplantation During COVID-19 Outbreak: Data From Public and Non-Public Dialysis Network
Jacek Zawierucha1, Wojciech Marcinkowski2, Jacek Małyszko3
1Fresenius Medical Care Polska, Poznań, Poland.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced kidney transplantations in Poland. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to protect healthcare systems and patients during future crises.
Area of Science:
- Medical Science
- Transplant Surgery
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted medical services in Poland, impacting transplantation procedures.
- Restrictions and staff infections led to significant challenges in the transplant sector.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze kidney transplantation data in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To compare patient qualification and transplantation numbers between pandemic and pre-pandemic periods.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of official data from Poltransplant (2019-2021).
- Inclusion of data from Fresenius Nephrocare Poland for private dialysis providers.
- Assessment of patient waiting lists and transplantation numbers.
Main Results:
- A significant decrease in qualified and transplanted patients during the pandemic.
- Kidney transplant procedures dropped by 20.8% in 2020 and 0.8% in 2021.
- Private dialysis providers saw a decrease in waiting list patients in 2020, with a slight increase in 2021.
Conclusions:
- The pandemic highlighted the vulnerability of the healthcare system to such crises.
- Multidisciplinary discussions are essential to develop strategies for future pandemic preparedness in transplantation.
- Protecting both the healthcare system and patients requires proactive planning and new procedures.
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected medical services in Poland. All restrictions, additional procedures, and numerous infections among medical staff affected transplantation in the country. This study aimed to analyze reports prepared by the Polish Transplant Coordination Center Poltransplant and internal Fresenius Nephrocare Poland to assess differences in the number of patients who qualified for kidney transplantation and transplanted during the pandemic compared with a pre-pandemic year.
Methods:
Official data from the Polish Transplant Coordinating Centre Poltransplant bulletin from 2019, 2020, and 2021 was analyzed to determine the number of patients on the waiting list for solid organ transplantation. The number of transplantations reported by Polish transplant centers was also considered.
Results:
During the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, the number of qualified and transplanted patients was significantly lower than in the pre-pandemic period. The worst data concerns the new qualifications, which were significantly lower in the first year of the pandemic due to all the restrictions implemented. The number of kidney transplant procedures provided during the 2-year pandemic period decreased significantly (-20.8%) in 2020, and in the second year, the negative trend continued (-0.8%). For private dialysis providers, the number of active patients on the waiting list for kidney transplantation was a bit better-it decreased from 265 to 239 in 2020 (-9.8%) and increased to 259 in 2021 (+8.4%). The decline in the number of patients treated in Fresenius Nephrocare dialysis centers was more significant, decreasing by 27.8% in 2020 compared with 2019. In 2021, the number of transplanted patients slightly increased by about 2.5%.
Conclusions:
The decrease in qualified and transplanted patients during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak clearly shows the need to undertake multidisciplinary discussions among all stakeholders to create new procedures and processes that will help protect the health care system and patients in future crisis situations.
