1. Corneal transplant during COVID-19 pandemic: the Italian Eye Bank national report
- Author
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Aiello, F, Genzano Besso, F, Pocobelli, G, Gallo Afflitto, G, Colabelli Gisoldi, Ram, Nucci, C, Ponzin, D, Bonci, P, Calabro, G, Ceccuzzi, R, Corneli, M, Genitti, G, Giannarini, C, Misto, R, Pocobelli, A, Tortori, A, and Venzano, D
- Subjects
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Biomedical Engineering ,Eye Banks ,Biomaterials ,Cohort Studies ,Corneal Transplantation ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Settore MED/30 ,Pandemic ,Lockdown ,Medicine ,Humans ,Pandemics ,Retrospective Studies ,National health ,Transplantation ,business.industry ,Full Length Paper ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Corneal Transplant ,COVID-19 ,Eye bank ,Cell Biology ,eye diseases ,Tissue Donors ,Corneal transplant ,Italy ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Communicable Disease Control ,030221 ophthalmology & optometry ,Eye banks activities ,sense organs ,business ,Demography ,Cohort study - Abstract
To investigate the impact of Coronavirus Disease-2019 lockdown on the Italian Eye Bank organization. In this national retrospective, multicentric, cohort study, data from the Italian Eye Bank during both the lockdown and the first month after the lockdown period were retrieved. We compared the Italian Eye Bank metrics with the same timeframe of 2019 and 2018. Data from 13 out of 13 (100%) Italian Eye Banks were included in the analysis. A statistically significant reduction in the number of donor corneas retrieved in 2020 was found as compared to the same period in 2019 and in 2018, respectively (2020 = 1284; 2019 = 3088; 2018 = 3221; ANOVA: p p p = 0.0035). Overall, 45 donor corneas were rejected in accordance with the guidance of the Italian National Health Institute Italian National Transplant Centre (CNT). SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has profoundly affected every social and medical field, including the Eye Bank procurement and distribution programs. The current data collected from all the Italian Eye Banks highlights the present and the forthcoming difficulties that the Eye Bank community is going to experience, as for the ongoing pandemic.
- Published
- 2021