COVID-19 positive donor hearts linked to higher mortality in heart transplant patients.
Heart transplant recipients from donors with active COVID-19 infection had higher mortality at 6 months and at 1 year than those with transplants from donors who had either a recently resolved COVID case or did not have COVID, according to a retrospective analysis. However, heart transplants from recently resolved COVID donors had similar post-transplant mortality to non-COVID donors. The study highlights the need for continued evaluation, risk-stratification, and a more nuanced approach in evaluating potential heart donors with COVID-19 infection.