Historic event: Kidneys from a donor with COVID-19 disease transplanted in Kaunas clinics

“More than a week after the operation, the kidneys are working well and the COVID-19 tests are negative. We continue to monitor the situation, but everything seems to be going well,” says Prof. IA Bumblytė.

Upon receiving the report that there is a possible organ donor in another city, all necessary investigations were conducted. “We knew from the epidemiological history of the patient’s illness that the patient had COVID-19 in early December,” says Dr. Tomas Tamošuitis.

The doctor emphasizes that doctors had to make an extremely difficult decision due to the lack of information about transplantation of organs from a donor who has had COVID-19. “We analyze the international literature and the experience of foreign colleagues. We have seen that so far there are not many cases of this type and the current individual recommendations are based on the knowledge of the virus accumulated in the spring. At the moment, we know much more, other criteria for recovery from the disease caused by the COVID-19 virus apply, ”says dr. Tomas Tamošuitis. Such transplantation is the first in the organ transplant practice in Lithuania.

“The potential donor had contracted the disease more than a month ago and further tests did not reveal any signs of active disease,” says the director of the Kaunas Clinics Organ Donor Program. – We knew that COVID-19 mainly affects the lungs and intestines. The kidneys are not usually the target of this infection. “

Doctors were concerned about how people invited to transplants would react. “We informed patients that the donor had a history of COVID-19, but no one was scared, they reacted calmly. It seems that little by little we are all getting used to the existence of this virus ”, says prof. Bumblytė.

Head of the Clinic of Anesthesiology of Kaunas prof. Dr. Andrius Macas is pleased that the Kaunas clinics are implementing elements of the rapid patient recovery concept that is already common throughout the world. “During the pandemic period, by increasing the safety of transplant patients, the path of perioperative care for these patients was adjusted, preserving all necessary aspects of treatment and care. To avoid even a minimal risk of contact with COVID-19 infection, patients after transplantation and anesthesia are transferred to the Department of Post-anesthesia Care of the Clinic of Anesthesiology, where intensive care and care are performed ”, says prof. Dr. A. Macas.

A multidisciplinary medical team participated in the decision of this exceptional transplant: Prof. from the Infectious Diseases Clinic of LSMU Kaunas Hospital. Dr. Auksė Mickienė, Head of the Laboratory Medicine Clinic, Kaunas Clinics prof. Astra Vitkauskienė, hospital nephrologists, head of the Urology Clinic prof. Mindaugas Jievaltas, urologist Algirdas Domarkas and donor coordinators.