[Skip to Content]

Claim CME

Surgery

Pediatric Heart Transplant Waiting List Times in the US During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Educational Objective
To identify the key insights or developments described in this article

1 Credit CME

JAMA Network Open

Published Online: October 7, 2022

Research Letter

Article Information and Disclosures

John Iguidbashian, MD¹;

Dor Yoeli, MD¹;

Melanie D. Everitt, MD²;

David N. Campbell, MD²;

Max B. Mitchell, MD²;

James Jaggers, MD²;

Matthew L. Stone, MD, PhD²

Author Affiliations

¹Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora
²Department of Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Colorado, Aurora

Read article on JAMA Network

Read Article Claim CME

Transplant disciplines have faced considerable challenges in maintaining allocation and sustaining delivery of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and increased waiting list times among pediatric heart transplant (HT) recipients in the US.

The United Network for Organ Sharing data set was used to identify pediatric HT recipients (age <18 years) according to predefined waiting list periods before the COVID-19 pandemic (November 1, 2018, to February 28, 2020) and during the pandemic (March 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021).¹ Because data were deidentified, the University of Colorado Institutional Review Board deemed the study exempt from approval and waived informed consent. The study followed the STROBE reporting guideline.

Claim CME

Sign in to take quiz and track your certificates

Buy This Activity

Article Information

Accepted for Publication: August 17, 2022.

Published: October 7, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.34874

Open Access: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC-BY License. © 2022 Iguidbashian J et al. JAMA Network Open.

Corresponding Author: John Iguidbashian, MD, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12605 E 16th Ave, Aurora, CO 80045 (john.iguidbashian@cuanschutz.edu).

Author Contributions: Dr Stone had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Concept and design: Iguidbashian, Yoeli, Campbell, Jaggers, Stone.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: Iguidbashian, Yoeli, Everitt, Mitchell, Stone.

Drafting of the manuscript: Iguidbashian, Stone.

Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: All authors.

Statistical analysis: Iguidbashian, Yoeli.

Obtained funding: Stone.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Stone.

Supervision: Everitt, Campbell, Mitchell, Jaggers, Stone.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

Additional Contributions: We thank Kathryn L. Colborn, PhD (University of Colorado School of Medicine), for assisting with statistical analysis; she was not compensated financially for her contribution.

References

United Network for Organ Sharing. Data collection. June 30, 2021. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://unos.org/data/data-collection/

Power A , Sweat KR , Dykes JC , et al. Waitlist mortality for children listed for heart transplant in the United States: how are we doing? J Heart Lung Transplant. 2021;40(4):S37-S38. doi:10.1016/j.healun.2021.01.1830 Google Scholar Crossref

Davies RR , Bano M , Butts RJ , Jaquiss RDB , Kirk R . Donor organ turn-downs and outcomes after listing for pediatric heart transplant. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2019;38(3):241-251. doi:10.1016/j.healun.2018.09.026 PubMed Google Scholar Crossref

DeFilippis EM , Sinnenberg L , Reza N , et al. Trends in US heart transplant waitlist activity and volume during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. JAMA Cardiol. 2020;5(9):1048-1052. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2020.2696 PubMed Google Scholar Crossref

Pelletier JH , Rakkar J , Au AK , Fuhrman D , Clark RSB , Horvat CM . Trends in US pediatric hospital admissions in 2020 compared with the decade before the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(2):e2037227. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.37227 PubMed Google Scholar Crossref

Sheridan GA , Nagle M , Russell S , et al. Pediatric trauma and the COVID-19 pandemic: a 12-year comparison in a level-1 trauma center. HSS J. 2020;16(suppl 1):92-96. doi:10.1007/s11420-020-09807-y PubMed Google Scholar Crossref

AMA CME Accreditation Information

Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
1.00 CME points in the American Board of Surgery’s (ABS) Continuing Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.