COVID-19 in 823 Transplant patients: A Systematic Scoping Review

Background

Management of COVID-19 in transplant patients is a big challenge. Data on immunosuppression management, clinical picture, and outcomes are lacking.

Objectives

To summarize the current literature on COVID-19 in transplant patients especially the data regarding the immunosuppression protocols, clinical presentation, and outcomes.

Search strategy

A systematic search of MEDLINE, EBSCO, CENTRAL, CINAHL, LitCovid, Web of Science, and Scopus electronic databases. The references of the relevant studies were also searched. The search was last updated on June 3, 2020.

Selection Criteria

Primary reports of solid organ transplant patients who developed COVID-19. An overlap of cases in different reports was checked.

Data collection and analysis

A descriptive summary of immunosuppression therapy (before and after COVID-19), clinical presentation (symptoms, imaging, laboratory, and disease severity), management (oxygen therapy, antiviral, and antibacterial), major outcomes (Intensive care admission, invasive mechanical ventilation, acute kidney injury), and mortality.

Main results

We identified 74 studies reporting 823 cases of solid organ transplantation with COVID-19. Among 372 patients, 114 (30.6%) were mild COVID-19, 101 (27.2%) moderate, and 157 (42.2%) severe or critical.

Major outcomes included intensive care unit admission, invasive ventilation, and acute kidney injury, which occurred in 121 (14.7%), 97 (11.8%), and 63 (7.7%) of patients, respectively. Mortality was reported in 160 (19.4%) patients. Missing individual data hindered making clinical correlations.

Conclusion

COVID-19 in solid organ transplant patients probably has a more disease severity, worse major outcomes (Intensive care admission, invasive ventilation, acute kidney injury), and higher mortality than in non-transplant patients.