Successful Heart Transplantation Following COVID-19 Infection

• Published in: Journal of cardiac failure 2022-04, Vol.28 (5), p.S12-S12
• Main Authors: Krishnarao, Krithika, Bosch, Wendelyn, Goswami, Rohan, Leoni-Moreno, Juan Carlos, Patel, Parag, Yip, Daniel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1071-9164; 1532-8414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2022.03.034

With COVID-19 rampant within the heart transplant community, more direction regarding the management of these patients is needed. Case studies have described treatment of heart transplant recipients who contracted COVID-19 but no recommendations exist on management of recent COVID-19 infection in the peri-operative transplant period. We describe a 47-year-old Caucasian female with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy diagnosed in 2003 presumed to be secondary to postpartum cardiomyopathy versus doxorubicin toxicity for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosed in 2000. Other co-morbidities include bone marrow transplantation, chest radiation, hypothyroidism, and recent COVID-19 upper respiratory infection without complications and not requiring hospitalization in December 2020. Given progressive clinical decline from her cardiomyopathy, she was admitted and underwent orthotopic heart transplantation on February 5, 2021. Immunosuppression was followed per our institution's protocol and induction therapy was completed with basiliximab. SARS coronavirus-2 spike antibody was checked prior to transplantation on February 5 (47 U/mL; reference