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Updated: Jun 21, 2025
Digital Home-Monitoring of Patients after Kidney Transplantation: The MACCS Platform
Published on: April 12, 2021
A Single Site, Retrospective Chart Review of Renal Transplant Graft Failure and Mortality Rates Pre and Post COVID-19
Troy D Hollinsworth1, Allison Blumenfeld2, Jenna Truckenbrod1,3
1University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Introduction:
Immunosuppressed patients are at an increased risk of complications from COVID-19. Despite the morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19, there is little information regarding its effect on post-renal transplant patients. This study investigated the impact of a COVID-19 diagnosis on renal transplant recipients in terms of graft failure and mortality.
Methods:
Renal transplant recipients were included if they had a functioning graft between March 2020 and March 2022. COVID-19 test results, duration from COVID-19 to graft failure and mortality, vaccination status, and COVID-19 treatment regimen were recorded and analyzed.
Results:
There were 175 renal transplant recipients who met study criteria. Of these, 82 patients had documented COVID-19 cases, and 93 patients did not have a documented case. Of the patients who had a COVID-19 positive test, 3 experienced renal graft failure, and 15 experienced mortality. When comparing graft failure rate between the two groups, there was no significant difference. The mortality risk was significantly increased in COVID-19 positive patients (p=0.021). The COVID-19 immunization rate (at least one dose) was 82.5% for renal transplant recipients compared to 77.2% for all of South Dakota.
Conclusions:
There was no significant difference in renal graft failure rate between the two groups, but there was a significantly increased mortality risk in patients with COVID-19 positivity.
