Transplantation News

A short course of direct-acting anti-viral prophylaxis may be effective in preventing transmission of hepatitis C virus from kidney donors to recipients, according to study results presented virtually at the American Transplant Congress.

A study conducted in the United Kingdom revealed that racial minorities and patients of lower socioeconomic status were less likely to be waitlisted for kidney transplantation, despite its universal health care system.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had major impacts on many areas of kidney care. These impacts range from necessary changes in the way routine dialysis is provided to spiking rates of AKI among patients hospitalized with the virus.

At a transportation summit, four national transplantation organizations — including the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the American Society of Transplantation, the United Network for Organ Sharing and the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations — developed a set of recommendations to ensure the safety of organ recovery teams.

Findings from two recently published articles point to a significant reduction in the number of overall solid-organ transplantation procedures performed, with the most notable decline seen in kidney transplantation.

Kidneys from older donors showed no significant association with increased risk for delayed graft function, according to this study.

Use of the hepatocyte growth factor mimetic ANG-3777 showed long-term improvement in kidney function in patients who underwent transplantation but had signs of possible kidney injury after transplant.

Although 1-month graft survival was similar among centers, higher rates of survival at 3 years were observed in children who underwent kidney transplantation at high-volume centers.

After considering the ways in which transplant recipients have responded to similar viruses in the past, researchers contended that COVID-19 may induce “severe consequences” in recipients, while also placing their health care teams and family members at risk.

For patients seeking kidney transplantation in the Southeastern United States, center distance from residence did not appear to be associated with either referral to transplant center or initiation of evaluation, according to a recently published study.