Rise in deaths from drug overdose and firearm injury during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and its impact on organ transplantation.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a profound societal impact in the United States which was associated with a decrease in overall life expectancy and an increase in substance abuse and firearm injury. Our understanding of changes in mortality trends during the pandemic and its effect on organ availability for transplantation is limited.

Aim: To examine the trends of substance abuse and firearm injury fatalities during COVID-19 and a potential correlation with organ transplantation.

Methods: Crude rates of population-based deaths among adults (18-75 years) from firearm injury and substance abuse from the period of 2014-2021 were obtained from centers of disease control wide-ranging online data for epidemiologic research database. Crude rates of causes of donor (18-75 years) deaths from 2014-2021 were obtained from the united network for organ sharing database.

Results: Average annual percentage change (AAPC) deaths among the United States population were 16.4% from substance abuse and 3.4% from firearm injury. AAPC in cause of death among organ donors was 10.9% from drug intoxication and 2.1% from firearm injury. There was a significant (P < 0.001) and progressive increase in mortality from both causes during the pandemic (2020-2021) and significant correlation (P < 0.001) between population and donor causes of death. COVID-19 exacerbated trends in substance abuse and firearm mortality with a consequent increase in organ donation from donors who died from these two causes.

Conclusion: Identifying the socioeconomic and regional disparities associated with increase in deaths from substance abuse and firearms can help guide post-pandemic healthcare policies and mitigate their impact on organ transplantation.