Organ transplant procedures in the United States were cut in half by the coronavirus pandemic, exacerbating the worldwide shortage of organs and the need for …
Organ transplant procedures in the United States were cut in half by the coronavirus pandemic, exacerbating the worldwide shortage of organs and the need for transplants, experts say.
By early April, the U. S. saw a 50% decline in deceased donor transplants from the month before, according to an analysis by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Paris Transplant Group.
“Our findings point to the far-reaching and severe ripple effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on health care, including lifesaving organ transplants,” said study co-author Dr. Peter Reese, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Penn.
The analysis, published Monday in The Lancet, attributed the overall decline to a steep reduction in kidney transplants, but it also reported a substantial drop in heart, lung and liver transplants.
The number of recovered organs dropped from more than 110 a day in early March to fewer than 60 a day by April, investigators reported.
