[The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on renal replacement therapy].

OBJECTIVE

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), characterized by progressive renal function loss, often necessitates replacement therapies to prevent mortality, with kidney transplantation being the most effective option. The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected healthcare systems, reducing transplant activities and lengthening waiting times. This study assesses differences in kidney transplant activity, waiting list durations, and renal replacement therapy usage during pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.

METHODS

This observational study was conducted at Miguel Servet University Hospital in Zaragoza, analyzing 326 kidney transplants performed between 2017 and 2022. Two periods were defined: pre-pandemic (2017-2020) and pandemic (2020-2022). Data were sourced from hospital records, excluding living or combined donor transplants. Statistical analyses included Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression models.

RESULTS

Median waiting list times increased from 3 months in the pre-pandemic period to 7.5 months during the pandemic (p=0.0014). Transplant density decreased from 5.02 to 4.21 cases per month. The proportion of donors in asystole rose significantly from 15.1% to 34.8%. Men over 61.9 years were the most impacted demographic.

CONCLUSIONS

The pandemic significantly extends waiting times and reduces kidney transplant activities, disproportionately affecting older male patients. These findings underscore the necessity of optimizing healthcare resources in future crises.