Background: Kidney transplantation in the elderly is complicated by comorbidities and a higher incidence of death. The Eurotransplant Senior Program (ESP) has been established to allocate kidneys from older donors to the increasing number of older recipients. In this retrospective, single center data analysis, we compare the outcome of recipients older than 70 years with younger recipients transplanted under the ESP protocol.
Methods: Between 1999 and 2009, a total of 83 kidneys were transplanted under the ESP protocol in Innsbruck and 19 of the recipients were older than 70 years (mean, 72.7 years). Cold ischemia time was kept short in both groups by giving preference to regional donor organs.
Results: Patient survival at 1 and 5 years were 95% and 67% in the 70+ group and 94.4% and 82.6% in the 70- group. Graft survival was 95% and 52% at 1 and 5 years in the 70+ group and 94.4% and 79.0% in the 70- group. When censored for death, graft survival at year 1 and 5 were 100% and 82% in the 70+ group and 98.1% and 92.7% in the 70- group. The delayed graft function rate was high in both groups (36.8% and 41.1%, respectively). Morbidities were largely related to hemodynamic, oncologic, and infectious events. Cardiac failure was the major cause of death.
Conclusion: Relatively good results can be achieved with renal transplantation in patients older than 70 years under careful pretransplant evaluation and postoperative management of comorbidities.