The impact of the COVID‒19 pandemic on organ donation and transplantation in Hungary in 2020 / A COVID-19-járvány hatása a szervadományozásra és -átültetésre Magyarországon 2020-ban.

Összefoglaló. Bevezetés: A SARS-CoV-2-világjárvány terjedése drasztikus változásokat okozott a mindennapi betegellátásban, amelyek érintették a szervadományozás és -átültetés területét is, így csökkent az élo és az elhunyt donorokból történo donációk és transzplantációk száma világszerte. Az esetszám csökkenése mellett a transzplantált és egyben immunszupprimált betegek védelme érdekében további biztonsági intézkedéseket kellett bevezetni. Módszer: A vizsgálat célja a COVID-19-járvány hazai donációs és transzplantációs aktivitásra gyakorolt hatásának kimutatása volt 2020-ban, a megelozo évvel történo összehasonlításban. A magyar eredményeket összehasonlítottuk elsosorban az Eurotransplant, illetve az Európai Unió tagállamainak adataival is. Eredmények: A lakosságszámra súlyozott, regisztrált COVID-19-fertozöttség és -halálozás tekintetében nem igazoltunk 2020-ban kiemelkedo eltérést itthon az Eurotransplant-tagállamokhoz képest. A hazai szervdonációs potenciál nem csökkent a vizsgált idoszakban, ugyanakkor 38,33%-kal csökkent az agyhalott szervdonorok száma Magyarországon, míg az Eurotransplantban átlagosan 8,64%-kal és 23 adatközlo európai országban 17,55%-kal. Az elhunytból történt szervátültetések száma 29,27%-kal csökkent, különösen a szív- és a májátültetések esetén. A külföldrol kapott szervek száma 21,13%-kal és aránya 12,34%-kal emelkedett. Az élo donoros veseátültetések száma nem változott. 2020-ban 25%-kal kevesebb új beteget regisztráltak, mint 2019-ben, és a várólista-mortalitás 28%-kal növekedett az elozo évhez képest, kifejezetten a veseátültetésre várók között. Következtetés: A hazai szervátültetési program biztonságos: donoreredetu SARS-CoV-2-átvitel nem történt hazánkban. A szervdonációs potenciál és a COVID-19-járvány mellett a szervdonációs és -transzplantációs aktivitás jelentosen csökkent Magyarországon 2020. márciustól az év végéig. A legtöbb európai országban átmeneti és kisebb mértéku szervdonációs csökkenést regisztráltak. A szervátültetések száma nem csökkent olyan mértékben, mint a donorszám, mert az Eurotransplantból több donorszerv érkezett hazánkba, mint amennyit külföldre küldtünk. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(23): 890-896. INTRODUCTION: The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has resulted in drastic changes in day-to-day patient care, which has also affected the field of organ donation and transplantation, thus reducing the number of donations and transplants from living and deceased donors worldwide. In addition to the reduction in the number of cases, additional safety measures had to be introduced to protect transplanted and implicatively immunosuppressed patients. METHOD: The aim of the study was to demonstrate the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on domestic donation and transplantation activity in 2020, compared to the previous year. We also compared the Hungarian results with the data of the Eurotransplant and the European Union member states. RESULTS: In terms of population-weighted, registered COVID-19 infection and mortality, we did not find a significant difference in Hungary in 2020 compared to the Eurotransplant member states. The national organ donation potential did not diminish in the period under review, however, the number of brain-dead organ donors decreased by 38.33% in Hungary, while in the Eurotransplant it did by 8.64% on average and in 23 reporting European countries by 17.55%. The number of organ transplants from the deceased decreased by 29.27%, especially regarding heart and liver transplants. Both the number and the proportion of organs received from abroad increased by 21.13% and 12.34%, respectively. The number of living donor kidney transplants did not change. In 2020, 25% fewer new patients were registered than in 2019 and the mortality on waiting list increased by 28% compared to the previous year, especially among those waiting for a kidney transplant. CONCLUSION: The national organ transplantation program is safe: donor-derived SARS-CoV-2 transmission did not occur in Hungary. In addition to the organ donation potential and the COVID-19 pandemic, organ donation and transplantation activity decreased significantly in Hungary from March 2020 until the end of the year. Transient and smaller reductions in organ donation rates have been reported in most European countries. The number of organ transplants did not decrease as much as the number of donors, because more donor organs arrived in Hungary from the Eurotransplant than we sent abroad. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(23): 890-896.

The First 5 Years of the Newest Eurotransplant Member State: Hungarian Results of International Organ Exchange From 2014 to 2018.

INTRODUCTION: Hungary joined Eurotransplant International (ET) to improve the chance of transplantation for Hungarian patients and patient outcomes, including access and graft and patient survival. After 5 years of full membership, the evaluation of numbers and quality indicators is possible. METHOD: A comparison was made between 5 years prior to a preliminary cooperation agreement (2007-2011) and 5 years after full ET membership (2014-2018). During the 2 study periods, we analyzed numbers and circumstances of deceased organ donors, multiorgan donors, donated organs, and transplantations in Hungary and development of waiting lists along with international organ exchanges. RESULT: The number of actual organ donors increased by 22.09% (729 vs 890), an additional 823 organ removals represents an increase of 42.71% (1927 vs 2750). There were 46.51% more transplants managed in the selected periods (1561 vs 2287). The number of new patients on the waiting list increased (2305 vs 3247; 40.87%). The mean kidney mismatch number decreased from 3.21 to 2.96. CONCLUSION: Joining ET has been an effective and efficient in terms of increasing access to organs and the lives of patients on the Hungarian waiting list posttransplant. It is also a benefit for patients with special needs because the number of organ transplants is greater than the increased number of donors.

[Personnel and material conditions of the Hungarian intensive care units dealing with organ donation]. / Magyarországi intenzív osztályok szervdonációval kapcsolatos személyi és tárgyi feltételei.

INTRODUCTION: At the end of 2016, the number of patients on the domestic transplant waiting list was twice as much as the number of the organ transplantations accomplished that year. The institutional prerequisites for functional organ donation programs are the sufficient number of personnel and the adequate material conditions to be provided in relation to the needs. AIM: The goal of the current study was to evaluate the professional environment in Hungary. METHOD: The Organ Coordination Office at the Hungarian National Blood Transfusion Service compiled a questionnaire survey on the personnel and material conditions of the intensive care units (ICUs) in Hungary in regards to organ donations. The survey applied an online questionnaire including 43 questions. In addition to the number of beds and employees, we investigated the tools needed for the legal and the medical diagnosis of brain death as well as the accessibility of examinations on the donor information form. The data collection spanned from 12 December 2016 to 30 June 2017. RESULTS: 59 intensive care units completed the questionnaire; the investigation involved 640 hospital beds, 816 physicians and 1252 nurses. In the daytime shift, 0.25 doctors and 0.41 nurses work on a patient bed at an average, while in the night shift, the figures are 0.11 and 0.33, respectively. 51.7% of the doctors are registered to access the National Non-Donor Registry, and brain death diagnosis committee is available in 83% of the hospitals. Among the medical imaging methods (cranial, abdominal-thoracic), CT scan in 71-73%, abdominal ultrasound in 75%, transthoracic echocardiograpy (TTE) in 37%, transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in 4%, bronchoscopy in 49%, coronarography in 19% are non-stop available, with instant interpretation in 75% of the cases. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) in 30%, four-vessel angiography in 45% and SPECT in 14% of the cases are available. More than 90% of the laboratory examinations on the donor information form are available 24 hours a day. CONCLUSION: The number of doctors and nurses did not change compared to our 2008 survey (0.18 doctors, 0.37 nurses/ICU beds in 2008), but the care of potential donors needs more resources and time. The standby availability of personnel and material conditions is a prerequisite for organ donation programs in order to save lives. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(33): 1360-1367.