Introduction
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has significantly impacted organ transplantation. Several concerns became abruptly ascendant: donor SARS-CoV-2 status, and the safety of traveling for organ procurement, inpatient admission for high-risk patients, and immunosuppression. Heart transplantation gained global interest, with SARS-COV-2 case-fatality rates characterized at 20-27% in past heart recipients.1,2 Investigation has been minimal in patients transplanted after SARS-CoV-2’s emergence, though short-term outcomes have been largely benign.3-5
New Jersey rapidly became a SARS-COV-2 epicenter. State of emergency was declared on March 9, 2020. Elective surgery was suspended through May 26, 2020. During this period, two orthotopic heart transplantations were performed at our academic medical center. These are reported to enrich the discussion on providing definitive therapy to advanced stage heart failure patients during pandemic conditions. This study does not meet the regulatory definition of human subject research as determined by the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Institutional Review Board; therefore, the requirement for informed patient consent is waived.