Renal Transplantation Using Kidneys Procured From Elderly Donors Older Than 70 Years

A major problem for the transplant society is a shortage of organs for transplantation compared with the number of patients on the waiting list. This study aimed to assess the results of the transplantation of kidneys procured from older donors.

A total of 27 kidneys procured from donors age 70 years or older were transplanted between January 1, 2010, and April 25, 2015. These represented only 4.1% of the 657 kidneys transplanted from deceased donors during this period at the same center.

Delayed graft function (DGF) in the recipients of kidneys procured from donors age 70 or older occurred in 46.1% of patients, whereas the recipients of kidneys from younger donors showed DGF at a frequency of 32.7% (P = NS). The annual and 3-year survival rates of kidneys in the study group were 85% and 80%, respectively, and in the control group were 92.5% and 88.6%, respectively (P = NS). According to the Polish National Organ Procurement Organization (Poltransplant), the annual survival rate of a transplanted kidney in Poland stands at 89%, whereas the 3-year survival rate is 82%. We detected no significant posttransplantation differences in the serum creatinine concentration and in the estimated glomerular filtration rate between the study and control groups. The donor age and donor creatinine were the variables independently associated with DGF.

The results of transplantation of kidneys from elderly donors were comparable to those of transplantation from younger donors. Kidneys harvested from elderly donors should be used for a transplant after a preliminary assessment.