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Could being an organ donor be dangerous? (November 2019) 4:19
(CNN) - During the coronavirus pandemic, the number of organ transplants dropped dramatically, according to a study published Monday.
In early April, the number of deceased donor organ transplants decreased by 51.1% in the United States and 90.6% in France compared to the previous month, according to the study.
Kidney transplants had the largest decrease, but heart, lung and liver transplants also had substantial reductions, the authors said. The study, published in the medical journal The Lancet, combined organ procurement data from federal agencies in the United States and France.
"We observed a strong temporal association between increased covid-19 infections and a surprising reduction in overall solid organ transplant procedures," the researchers said.
One explanation for the reduction could be concern that transplant recipients are more susceptible to infection, according to the researchers. Another concern is that there are not enough resources in terms of personnel or equipment in hospitals to care for patients after transplantation.
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Decisions about how to use limited medical resources "could be especially devastating for the thousands of patients who need an organ transplant," the authors wrote. "While it is likely that live donor organ transplants may be rescheduled for a future date, deceased donor organs must be obtained immediately or the opportunity will be missed."
There was no clear association between reductions in organ transplant rates and covid-19 hotspots, suggesting a global and national effect beyond local infections, the researchers said.
Patients requiring organ transplants are often found in terminal organ failure, the final and permanent stage of organ damage.
In the United States, approximately 40,000 patients receive an organ transplant each year, but 120,000 patients remain on a transplant waiting list, with 7,600 individuals dying annually while waiting for an organ transplant, according to the researchers.