Heart and lung transplant rates fail to recover to pre-Covid levels, study finds
A study from the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital reveals that heart and lung transplant rates in Ireland remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels. Researchers cite structural vulnerabilities and a loss of program momentum as primary causes for the slow recovery.
Why it matters
The decline in transplant surgeries highlights the long-term impact of the pandemic on healthcare infrastructure and patient outcomes.
The number of heart and lung transplants being carried out in Ireland remains at half the level recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic, a new study has found.
The research noted transplant activity had slowed dramatically during the pandemic as intensive care resources were reallocated to treat Covid patients, and suggested this had resulted in significant “waiting list mortality”.
It found that while the total number of cardiothoracic cases (surgeries most commonly involving the heart and lungs) had recovered well since the pandemic, transplant surgery rates continued to be well down.
Between five and 10 heart transplants now take place every year, compared with 15 in 2019, while lung transplants have similarly decreased to between 13 and 19 per year compared with 37 before the pandemic.
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