Pre-transplant HIV, HBV and HCV testing requirement updated for candidates younger than age 12 no longer required at time of hospital admission
Effective July 1, 2022, Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) policy no longer requires testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) at the time of hospital admission for transplant candidates younger than age 12. Read the policy notice.
The policy does continue to require that each of these tests be performed prior to transplant, and that the testing must be documented. However, the timing of the tests may occur at any time prior to transplant, not specifically upon hospital admission.
This briefing paper documents the policy clarification, which was approved by the OPTN Board of Directors on June 27, 2022.
Background and additional information
Incidence of these diseases in candidates less than 12 years of age is very low, while the risk of adverse medical outcomes from overdrawing blood directly prior to transplant is a greater concern. The sponsoring committees (the OPTN ad hoc Disease Transmission Advisory Committee and the OPTN Pediatric Transplantation Committee) collaborated with representatives of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop the recommendation.
The U.S. Public Health Service Guideline addressing the tracking and mitigation of potentially donor-transmitted HIV, HBV and HCV has been updated to reflect this action.
