Impact of COVID-19 on Kidney Transplant Outcomes: An 8-Year Study From the Czech Republic

BACKGROUND The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted transplant programs worldwide. Transplant recipients are especially vulnerable to the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection due to immunosuppression. This study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on kidney transplant outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS We performed a single-center, retrospective cohort study of the kidney transplant program in the Czech Republic. The analysis included 145 recipients transplanted from 138 donors between 2015 and 2022. Cohorts were defined by donor procurement before the pandemic (n=94) or during the pandemic (n=44). The analysis focused on short- and long-term graft and patient outcomes of both groups. RESULTS No significant differences were found in postoperative kidney graft function (P=0.160) or overall survival before and during the pandemic. The 1- and 3-year survival rates before the pandemic were 96.0% and 90.9%. During the pandemic, they were 97.8% at both time points (P=0.092). Deathcensored failure-free survival was 95.9% and 90.4% at 1 and 3 years before the pandemic versus 95.6% at 1 and 3 years during the pandemic, respectively (P=0.377). Estimated glomerular filtration rate at 7 days (P=0.233) and 1 month (P=0.893) did not differ between vaccinated and non-vaccinated recipients. CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 pandemic had no significant impact on the short- or long-term outcomes of the kidney transplantation program. These data support sustaining standard kidney transplantation programs during health crises.