COVID-19 Infection in a 13-year-old Heart Transplant Recipient in Immediate Post Transplant Period - A Case Report

INTRODUCTION: Experience regarding course and outcome of Covid-19 infection in heart transplant recipients is limited. Case fatality rate of 25% of covid-19 infection in adult recipients of heart transplant and mild and self-limited disease in young heart transplant patients have been reported in small case series. We describe a case where a 13 year old patient contracted covid-19 infection on 7(th) post-operative day after undergoing heart transplant and was subsequently discharged from hospital uneventfully. CASE REPORT: A 13 year old boy, with dilated cardiomyopathy underwent orthotopic heart transplant surgery. In the immediate pre-operative period, the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) of nasopharyngeal swabs of both the recipient and the brain-dead organ donor were negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS CoV 2). The intraoperative and immediate postoperative periods were uneventful. The recipient got weaned off from mechanical ventilation on the 1(st) postoperative day and O(2) support was weaned off on 4(th) postoperative day. He was put on immunosuppressive regimen consisting of mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus and prednisone. On 7(th) postoperative day, he complained of fever, sore throat and dry cough. Nasopharyngeal swab for RTPCR was sent. It reported positive for SARS CoV 2. He was shifted to isolation facility. He maintained more than 94% saturation on pulse oximetry in room air. Immunosuppressive regimen was continued. He was administered 5-day course of remdesivir. Inotropic support was weaned off on 10(th) postoperative day. On serial bedside echocardiography, the allograft function was found to be normal throughout. He was kept on prophylactic antimicrobial, antifungal and anti-cytomegaloviral therapy and on prophylactic dose of low molecular weight heparin. There was initial rise in neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (17), C reactive protein (58 mg/l), ferritin (871 ng/ml), D-dimer (1904 ng/ml), Troponin T (227 pg/ml) levels, which gradually came down to within normal limits. He was discharged on 38(th) postoperative day to a home isolation facility as his RTPCR for SARS CoV 2 was still positive, although he remained completely asymptomatic for the last 21 days. SUMMARY: The course of Covid-19 infection in the immediate post-transplant period of this young heart transplant recipient was largely uneventful.