In the past 30 years, the demand for heart transplants has increased manifold. Despite this need, there has been a continuous shortage of available donor organs for people in need of transplantation. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation even more, with an increased rate of donors testing positive for COVID-19, rendering the donors unsuitable for transplantation. According to a short-term analysis presented at the American Hearts Association’s Scientific Sessions, 2022, donor hearts from COVID-positive patients appeared to be as safe for transplantation as those without COVID.
The study compared the first 84 COVID-19-positive donor heart transplants with 3,289 total heart transplants. Both groups reported equal death rates within 30 days of operation and similar rates of graft failure, lung infection, average hospital stay, and organ rejection. None of the four…
