Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34050961›Full record

ArticleClinical transplantation2021

Immunosuppression practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multinational survey study of transplant programs.

Shaifali Sandal, Brian J Boyarsky, Allan Massie, Teresa Po-Yu Chiang, Dorry L Segev, Marcelo Cantarovich

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical transplantation, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. COVID-19 and solid organ transplantation: Finding the right balance.Transplantation reviews (Orlando, Fla.) · 2022
    Pooled it
  3. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Shaifali SandalDivision of Nephrology, Multi-Organ Transplant Program, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-1941-0598
Brian J BoyarskyDepartment of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6902-9854
Allan MassieDepartment of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Teresa Po-Yu ChiangDepartment of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Dorry L SegevDepartment of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1924-4801
Marcelo CantarovichDivision of Nephrology, Multi-Organ Transplant Program, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-4766-3333
Johns Hopkins University · USMcGill University Health Centre · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been wide heterogeneity in the medical management of transplant recipients. We aimed to pragmatically capture immunosuppression practices globally following the early months of the pandemic. From June to September 2020, we surveyed 1267 physicians; 40.5% from 71 countries participated. Management decisions were made on a case-by-case basis by the majority (69.6%) of the programs. Overall, 76.8% performed ≥1 transplantation and many commented on avoiding high-risk transplantations. For induction, 26.5% were less likely to give T-cell depletion and 14.8% were more likely to give non-depleting agents. These practices varied by program-level factors more so than the COVID-19 burden. In patients with mild, moderate and severe COVID-19 symptoms 59.7%, 76.0%, and 79.5% decreased/stopped anti-metabolites, 23.2%, 45.4%, and 68.2% decreased/stopped calcineurin inhibitors, and 25.7%, 43.9%, and 57.7% decreased/stopped mTOR inhibitors, respectively. Also, 2.1%, 30.6%, and 46.0% increased steroids in patients with mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19 symptoms. For prevalent transplant recipients, some programs also reported decreasing/stopping steroids (1.8%), anti-metabolites (10.3%), calcineurin inhibitors (4.1%), and mTOR inhibitors (5.5%). Transplant programs changed immunosuppression practices but also avoided high-risk transplants and increased maintenance steroids. The long-term ramifications of these practices remain to be seen as programs face the aftermath of the pandemic.

Indexed as

COVID-19Kidney TransplantationHumansImmunosuppression TherapyImmunosuppressive AgentsPandemicsSARS-CoV-2Transplant RecipientsImmunosuppressive AgentsCOVID-19 pandemicCOVID-19 therapeuticsglobal surveyimmunosuppression practicesinductionmaintenanceoutcomestransplantation

Identifiers

PMID34050961
PMCPMC8209940
OpenAlexW3164467782

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.