Recovery of kidneys from older donors: is it worthwhile?

One factor that is considered in the search for viable organs is the age of the potential donor. Retrospective data analysis on older donors (those aged 65 years and above) was performed to examine graft outcome. Data were collected on all older donors retrieved in one region from 1990 to 1995. Of those recipients transplanted locally (mean age, 57.6 years), creatinine values were recorded at 3 and 12 months. A recipient control group was selected from younger donors over the same period. Grafts were considered functional if the recipient was dialysis free. After 1 year, 24 recipients (82.3%) remained dialysis free, whereas 28 in the control group (90.3%) remained dialysis free during the same period. No significant differences were found in 1-year graft survival between kidneys retrieved from older donors versus those retrieved from younger donors. It therefore can be concluded that recovery from older donors is worthwhile.