Outcomes of liver transplantation patients infected with COVID-19: pandemic hospital experience from Turkey

Abstract

Aims: There are conflicting results for the course of the disease and mortality rates for liver transplantation patients infected with COVID-19. In this study, we aimed to present the outcomes of our liver transplant patients who were hospitalized and followed up in our tertiary hospital, which served as a pandemic hospital for COVID-19. Methods: Patients hospitalized with the diagnosis of COVID-19 between March 1, 2020 and March 1, 2022 in Sancaktepe Şehit Prof. Dr. İlhan Varank Training and Research Hospital and Prof. Dr. Feriha Öz Pandemic Hospital were included. In this retrospective observational study, the clinical data of the patients, the need for intensive care hospitalization, and mortality rates were recorded by hospital computer system. The relationships were analyzed with SPSS v20.0. Results: There were 25996 patients who were hospitalized with the diagnosis of COVID-19 and 28 of them were with the history of liver transplantation. Ages of the liver transplant patients ranged from 18 to 73, with a median age of 52. 82.1% of the patients were male and 17.9% were female. Intensive care unit hospitalization rate was 25% and mortality rate was 14.3%. The relationships according to the age groups revealed that all of the women were under the age of 50 (p=0.008) and the patients who deceased were male patients over the age of 50 (p=0.044). Conclusion: Mortality rates and intensive care unit requirements of chronically immunosuppressed liver transplant patients with COVID-19 infection were similar with general population. Complete immunosuppression withdrawal should not be urged in this population.