Changes regarding solid organ transplantation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus disease 2019 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and emerged in Wuhan, China. It affects millions of people all over the world and has caused the deaths of thousands of people. Mortality rates were higher in transplant recipients and patients awaiting transplantation due to social and psychological issues. It also affected candidates who would be transplant providers and caused the transplant chain to be broken worldwide. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has significantly affected solid organ transplantation procedures and led to various changes in protocols and practices to ensure patient safety and increase transplant success. These include challenges in screening protocols, prioritization of cases, telemedicine and virtual consultations, modified surgical procedures, immunosuppression management, updated research and guidelines, post-transplantation process and difficulties to control side effects, difficulties in organ procurement, and patient education/support. It requires a multidisciplinary approach, close collaboration between transplant teams, and adherence to strict infection control measures to ensure the safety of both transplant recipients and healthcare providers. In this article, we compiled the most important points in an overview of this process.