Patient safety
Important COVID-19 updates and latest data
Keeping patients safe
Find alerts, policies and guidance to keep transplant patients safe and reduce the risk for disease transmission here:
Patient safety resources
Disease transmission
PDDTE policy changes – effective 9/1/2016
- Policy notice
- Pathogens of special interest
- FDA-cleared assays, used to determine toxoplasmosis immune status or diagnosis
Other resources
- Zika virus information for organ donation and transplant professionals (7/2016)
- Frequently asked questions about the 2013 PHS guideline
- West Nile Virus risk factors and evaluating potential living donors
- Recognizing central nervous system infections in potential deceased organ donors
- HTLV-1 screening and confirmation in potential donors and reporting potential HTLV-1 infection
- Recognizing seasonal and geographically endemic infections in organ donors; considerations during living donor evaluation
ABO
Other resources
- OPTN policy 5: organ offers, acceptance, and verification (6/2016)
- System changes related to ABO verification policy are now in place (6/2016)
- OPO Pre-Recovery Verification Template (added 6/28/2016)
- ABO Subtyping Organ Donors for Blood Groups A and AB
- Living Donor OR Verification template (revised 5/2017)
- Recipient OR Verification template (revised 5/2017)
- ABO donor recipient compatibility chart (added 4/2016)
- Electronic Medical Record (EMR) suggested data fields (revised 5/2016)
Vessels
Other resources
- Update for OPOs about TransNet labels for extra vessels (12/4/2018)
- OPOs must use sterile internal labels for extra vessels beginning 9/1/2015 (Updated 2/1/2019)
- Policy 16: Organ and Vessel Packaging, Labeling, Shipping, and Storage
- Guidance regarding handling and repackaging vessels
Labels (begin using on Mar. 1, 2021)
- Vessel labels – 2 x 4 (take effect 3/1/2021)
- Vessel labels – 2 x 5 (take effect 3/1/2021)
Effective practices
Go to UNOS Connect and sign in to access all webinar recordings for transplant professionals. Learn more about UNOS Connect and other educational offerings.
Root cause analysis
UNetSM
Enter data on candidates, recipients and donors. If you can’t access the site, your hospital or OPO site administrator can help you.
Important patient safety notices
Monkeypox and solid organ donation
The OPTN Ad Hoc Disease Transmission Advisory Committee (DTAC) is evaluating this situation as it develops.
New exception pathway available for heart device recalls
In order to address patient safety concerns, the OPTN Executive Committee approved a modification of OPTN Policy 6.4: Adult and Pediatric Status Exceptions on July 11 that is now in effect.
Emergency action: New exception pathway for heart device recalls
This new policy will allow transplant programs to submit an exception request on behalf of adult heart transplant candidates for a Status 1, 2 or 3 exception without requiring hospitalization if the FDA has recalled their implanted mechanical circulatory support device.
Implementation notice: Pre-transplant HIV, HBV and HCV testing requirement updated for candidates younger than age 12
Effective July 1, testing no longer required for HIV, HBV and HCV at the time of hospital admission for transplant candidates younger than age 12.
Potential supply issues affecting organ preservation solution
Contact your individual supplier for more information.
Voluntary recall addresses Alprostadil
If your institution has stock from the affected lot, please contact your supplier.
Voluntary recall addresses Vecuronium Bromide
If your institution has stock from any of the affected lots, please contact your supplier.
Resource lists lower respiratory tract testing available
Tests authorized by the FDA to analyze lower respiratory tract specimens.
AST Innovation Award presented to DTAC
Committee honored for big ideas and out of the box thinking that has made a significant impact on transplantation.
AJT article reports on 10 years of potential donor-derived transmission events
It is very rare for patients receiving transplants to have a donor-derived disease transmission, according to a recently published study.