The rapid transition of the New South Wales transplant units and donation services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

The challenges that New South Wales (NSW) donation and transplantation services - namely the St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, heart and lung transplant unit, the Australian national liver transplant unit (ANLTU), and the New South Wales Organ and Tissue Donation Service (NSW OTDS) - have faced during the coronavirus pandemic are multifaceted. The rapid establishment of a donor COVID-19 screening protocol by NSW OTDS and the subsequent risk assessment of organ viability allowed minimal disruption to a resilient heart/lung and liver transplant program at St Vincent's Hospital and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH). However, while donor screening became increasingly rigorous, the mobilisation of organ retrieval teams interstate became increasingly problematic and not without considerable risk. Furthermore, transplant coordinators were faced with a novel challenge of mobilising the rural and sometimes interstate recipient to both hospitals with reduced domestic flights and public transportation options.