KASMEJ
Kastamonu Medical Journal

Kastamonu Medical Journal regularly publishes internationally qualified issues in the field of Medicine in the light of up-to-date information.

eISSN: 2757-9336
Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.
EndNote Style

Online Manuscript System

Index
Original Article
How did the COVID-19 pandemic period affect the patients on the cadaver waiting list? A single-center experience
Abstract
Aims: During the COVID-19 pandemic, kidney transplantations have decreased worldwide and in Turkiye. This study aimed to explore the expected increase in the number of patients on the cadaver waiting list and the factors influencing this outcome.
Methods: We analyzed data from kidney transplant candidates during the pandemic period, focusing on mortality rates, causes of death, and patient behavior, such as attendance to routine transplant polyclinic visits.
Results: Although an increase in the number of patients on the cadaver waiting list was expected, a decrease was reported in some centers. Mortality rates were higher in kidney transplant candidates due to COVID-19, but the highest death rate was still attributed to cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, the number of patients attending routine transplant polyclinic visits decreased due to fear of infection.
Conclusion: The expected increase in patients on the cadaver waiting list was not observed, likely due to higher mortality rates and decreased clinic visits during the pandemic. The dilemma of transplantation and infection during the pandemic is a challenging issue, requiring careful follow-up in experienced centers.

Keywords : Chronic kidney disease, COVID-19, transplantation

Download Article


1. Khairallah P, Aggarwal N, Awan AA, et al. The impact of COVID-19 on kidney transplantation and the kidney transplant recipient-one year into the pandemic. Transplant Int. 2021;34(4):612-621. doi:10.1111/tri. 13794
2. Özer MR, Avcı A, Baloğlu İ, Zeybek Aydın K. Factors associated with intensive care hospitalization in patients with COVID-19. Selcuk Med J. 2022;38(2):1-6. doi:10.30733/smj.2022.38.2.1
3. Galván NTN, Moreno NF, Garza JE, et al. Donor and transplant candidate selection for solid organ transplantation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Am J Transplant. 2020;20(11):3113-3122. doi:10. 1111/ajt.16104
4. Boyarsky BJ, Werbel WA, Durand CM, et al. Early national and center-level changes to kidney transplantation in the United States during the COVID-19 epidemic. Am J Transplant. 2020;20(11):3131-3139. doi:10. 1111/ajt.16167
5. Süleymanlar G, Utaş C, Arınsoy T, et al. A population-based survey of chronic renal disease in Turkiye-the CREDIT study. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2011;26(6):1862-1871. doi:10.1093/ndt/gfq746
6. Hall RK, Luciano A, Pieper C, Colón-Emeric CS. Association of Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL-36) with mortality and hospitalization in older adults receiving hemodialysis. BMC Nephrol. 2018;19:1-9. doi: 10.1186/s12882-018-0903-7
7. Fox CS, Matsushita K, Woodward M, et al. Associations of kidney disease measures with mortality and end-stage renal disease in individuals with and without diabetes: a meta-analysis. Lancet. 2012;380(9854):1662-1673. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61350-6
8. Cozzolino M, Galassi A, Pivari F, Ciceri P, Conte F. The cardiovascular burden in end-stage renal disease. Expanded Hemodialysis. 2017;191:44-57. doi:10.1016/j.exhe.2017.02.001
9. Mohan S, King KL, Husain SA, Schold JD. COVID-19-associated mortality among kidney transplant recipients and candidates in the United States. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2021;16(11):1695-1703. doi:10.2215/CJN.02690221
10. Craig-Schapiro R, Salinas T, Lubetzky M, et al. COVID-19 outcomes in patients waitlisted for kidney transplantation and kidney transplant recipients. Am J Transplant. 2021;21(4):1576-1585. doi:10.1111/ajt.16351
11. Shivanna S, Kolandaivelu K, Shashar M, et al. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor is a critical regulator of tissue factor stability and an antithrombotic target in uremia. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2016;27(1):189-200. doi:10.1681/ASN.2015050577
12. Liakopoulos V, Roumeliotis S, Gorny X, Eleftheriadis T, Mertens PR. Oxidative stress in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis: a current review of the literature. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2017;2017:1-9. doi:10. 1155/2017/7102193
13. Cifci A, Inal S, Kaya C. Asymmetric dimethyl arginine levels in chronic hemodialysis patients. Turk J Med Sci. 2014;44(4):606-610. doi:10.3906/sag-1305-31
14. Emrich IE, Zawada AM, Martens-Lobenhoffer J, et al. Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) outperforms asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and other methylarginines as predictor of renal and cardiovascular outcome in non-dialysis chronic kidney disease. Clin Res Cardiol. 2018;107:201-213. doi:10.1007/s00392-017-1183-3
15. Vervloet MG, Sezer S, Massy ZA, et al. The role of phosphate in kidney disease. Nat Rev Nephrol. 2017;13(1):27-38. doi:10.1038/nrneph.2016.161
16. Wang Z, Jiang A, Wei F, Chen H. Cardiac valve calcification and risk of cardiovascular or all-cause mortality in dialysis patients: a meta-analysis. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2018;18(1):1-8. doi:10.1186/s12872-018-0853-1
17. Nesrallah GE, Mustafa RA, MacRae J, et al. Canadian Society of Nephrology guidelines for the management of patients with ESRD treated with intensive hemodialysis. Am J Kidney Dis. 2013;62(1):187-198. doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2013.02.373
18. Surdacki A, Wieczorek-Surdacka E, Sulowicz W, Dubiel J. Effect of having a functioning cadaveric renal transplant on cardiovascular mortality risk in patients on renal replacement therapy. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 1995;10(7):1218-1223. doi:10.1093/ndt/10.7.1218
19. Port FK, Wolfe RA, Mauger EA, Berling DP, Jiang K. Comparison of survival probabilities for dialysis patients vs cadaveric renal transplant recipients. JAMA. 1993;270(11):1339-1343. doi:10.1001/jama. 1993.03510110039030
20. Wolfe RA, Ashby VB, Milford EL, et al. Comparison of mortality in all patients on dialysis, patients on dialysis awaiting transplantation, and recipients of a first cadaveric transplant. N Engl J Med. 1999;341(23):1725-1730. doi:10.1056/NEJM199912023412301
21. Schnuelle P, Lorenz D, Trede M, Van Der Woude F. Impact of renal cadaveric transplantation on survival in end-stage renal failure: evidence for reduced mortality risk compared with hemodialysis during long-term follow-up. J Am Soc Nephrol. 1998;9(11):2135-2141. doi:10. 1681/ASN.V9112135
22. Ateş K, Ko&ccedil;yiğit İ. T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;de Nefroloji, Diyaliz ve Transplantasyon - Registry 2022. BAYT Bilimsel Araştırma Basım ve Yayın; 2023. </ol> <p>
Article available in :
Volume 5, Issue 2, 2025
Page : 99-102
https://doi.org/10.51271/KMJ-0192
Article Information
Received : 22 Oca 2025
Accepted : 20 Şub 2025
Published : 20 Haz 2025
Corresponding Author :

Fethi Yönet: Department of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Yönet F, Baloğlu İ, Pire B, et al. How did the COVID-19 pandemic period affect the patients on the cadaver waiting list? A single-center experience. Kastamonu Med J. 2025;5(2):99-102.

Read: 59
Cited: 0
Download : 61
_Footer