Organ transplantation from deceased donors with vaccine‐induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia
From PubMed
Vaccine‐induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia (VITT) may follow immunization with the ChAdOx1 nCoV‐19 vaccine against SARS‐CoV‐2.1, 2 Autoantibodies to platelet factor 4 (PF4) may mediate VITT through antibody‐dependent platelet activation, though the underlying etiology is uncertain.3 Anti‐PF4 antibodies are also seen in heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia, though most cases of VITT do not have prior heparin exposure. More than 20 million people in the United Kingdom (UK) have received the ChAdOx1 nCoV‐19 vaccine. We carried out an early analysis of organ donation and transplantation from UK donors with VITT, to understand the implications of this emerging syndrome. Articles 6(1)(e) and 9(2)(h) and (i) of the General Data Protection Regulations provide the basis for NHSBT to use patient identifiable data without prior consent, for the purposes of monitoring the safety of the national transplant program.
