Coronavirus disease 2019 outcomes in heart transplant recipients: A large Australian cohort

Abstract

Heart transplant recipients have been reported to be at a significantly elevated risk of poor outcomes from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection owing to their underlying comorbidities and immunosuppression. We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort of all heart transplant recipients who were known to have contracted COVID-19 between January 2020 and September 2022. Electronic medical records were used to collect baseline demographics, vaccination status, COVID-19 treatment received, hospitalization data, and mortality. Our primary end point was mortality, and our secondary endpoint was hospitalization. Between January 2020 and September 2022, 132 heart transplant recipients at our single-center contracted COVID-19 infection. Our population had high rates of vaccination, with 124 patients (94%) having received at least 2 vaccines. We found significantly lower rates of mortality and hospitalization than had been previously reported earlier in the pandemic, with a mortality rate of 8/132 (6%) and hospitalization rate of 21/132 (16%).

Keywords: COVID-19; cardiac transplantation; coronavirus; infection.