Kidney donor at UPMC passes virus on

May 11, 2011

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_736422.html

By Fabregas

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Last updated: 8:11 am

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is investigating a case in which an adult

living donor transmitted the Hepatitis C virus to a kidney transplant recipient

at UPMC, a health department spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

UPMC officials refused to comment on the case, which prompted hospital

administrators to temporarily shut down its adult living-donor kidney transplant

program.

" We are aware there was a case of Hepatitis C reported surrounding the kidney

transplant program " at UPMC, said Yasmin , spokeswoman at the Department

of Health. " It is under investigation. We can't say anything else. "

Hepatitis C virus spreads through infected blood or tissue, said Dr. Ron

Voorhees, chief of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Allegheny County Health

Department. The infection can lead to inflammation of the liver and liver

cancer, but there are treatments to help the body get rid of the virus, he said.

The Tribune-Review first reported the UPMC program's suspension on Monday. UPMC

officials have said the suspension was voluntary.

UPMC spokeswoman Yates cited federal privacy rules yesterday when asked

about the Hepatitis C case and would not answer questions about UPMC's donor

screening process.

" Because of HIPAA, we can't comment on any patient outcomes or diagnoses, " Yates

said, referring to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of

1996.

Potential kidney donors at UPMC undergo extensive evaluation that includes blood

tests, CT scans, echocardiograms, pulmonary function tests and a psychiatric

evaluation, according to the UPMC website. The blood tests help determine

whether the potential donor has any transmissible diseases such as HIV or

hepatitis, any underlying kidney diseases or any serious medical condition, the

website said.

When the tests are completed, the donor's information is reviewed by a

transplant committee. The committee includes surgeons, transplant nephrologists

and nurse coordinators, and other specialists. The evaluation can take up to

four weeks.

About 40 percent of UPMC's kidney transplant cases involved the use of live

donors in 2010, when surgeons performed 62 kidney transplants with live donors

and 90 transplants with deceased donors. The 152 total kidney transplants at

UPMC last year was the lowest number since 150 transplants in 2001, according to

the United Network for Organ Sharing.

Yates repeated UPMC's expectation that it will soon reopen the living-donor

kidney program, but could not provide a specific time frame.

Voorhees said county health officials had not been notified of any

transplant-related Hepatitis C incidents at UPMC. He said Hepatitis C

transmission in transplantation is unusual because there is a screening process

designed to safeguard that the donor's blood has been checked for infectious

diseases.

" There are screening procedures that are established, so we don't hear about it

very often, " he said.

There were a total of 684 Hepatitis C infections reported in Allegheny County in

2010. A total of 165 cases were reported in the county through April of this

year, said department spokesman Guillermo Cole.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services this week began a

scheduled review of UPMC's organ transplant program. A spokesman declined

comment yesterday.

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May 11, 2011