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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
Orthotopic Liver Transplantation in Rats
Published on: July 1, 2012
[Orthotopic liver transplantation in patients over 60 years old]
Xiao-Shun He1, Ji-Xiao Zeng, Xiao-Feng Zhu
1Department of Organ Transplantation, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China. gdtrc@163.com
Insights
Liver transplantation outcomes for patients over 60 are comparable to younger adults, with similar survival rates but increased risks of infection and hemorrhage. Careful patient selection is key for successful orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in older recipients.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology and Transplant Surgery
- Geriatric Medicine
Context:
- Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a life-saving procedure for end-stage liver disease.
- The number of older adults undergoing OLT is increasing, necessitating an understanding of age-related outcomes.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the outcomes and associated complications of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in patients aged 60 years and older compared to younger recipients.
- To identify specific challenges and benefits of OLT in the geriatric population.
Summary:
- A retrospective review compared 59 liver transplant recipients aged 60+ with 500 recipients aged 18-59.
- One-year survival rates were similar (66% vs. 76%), with no significant differences in operation time, blood loss, hospitalization, or hepatic artery thrombosis.
- Older recipients had lower acute rejection rates but longer intensive care unit stays and ventilator use, with higher incidences of infection and intracerebral hemorrhage, which were primary causes of death.
Impact:
- Results suggest that older adults (60+) can achieve excellent one-year survival after OLT, despite higher complication rates.
- This study informs patient selection and perioperative management strategies for geriatric liver transplant candidates.
- Further research into mitigating age-related complications is warranted to optimize long-term outcomes in this growing patient demographic.
Objective:
To investigate the outcome and relative problems of patients over 60 years old underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).
Methods:
Data of patients over 60 years old (>or= 60 years old group, n = 59) patients recipients who were 18 to 59 years old (< 60 years old group, n = 500) were reviewed retrospectively.
Results:
Overall patients survival at 1 year was not significantly different among >or= 60 years old group (66%) and < 60 years group (76%). There were no differences in the operation time, the quantity of blood lost during operation, the days of hospitalization and the incidence of hepatic artery thrombosis between the two groups. The incidence rate of acute rejection reaction in >or= 60 years old group was lower. Both the duration of staying in intensive care unit and the time of using ventilator in >or= 60 years old group were longer than the other group. Moreover, the incidence rates of infection and intracerebral hemorrhage were higher in >or= 60 years old group, which were the primary causes of death in this group.
Conclusion:
Even though the complications were higher, recipients over 60 years old underwent OLT have more excellent 1 year survival.
