Zusammenfassung
Background. Renal transplantation is the therapy of choice for kidney failure. The Eurotrans-plant Senior Program (ESP) has been established to allocate kidneys >= 65 years to recipients of the same age group considered a regional allocation with short cold ischemia (CIT) but not human-leukocyte-antigen (HLA)-matching. The acceptance of organs aged >= 75 years is also still controversial within ...
Zusammenfassung
Background. Renal transplantation is the therapy of choice for kidney failure. The Eurotrans-plant Senior Program (ESP) has been established to allocate kidneys >= 65 years to recipients of the same age group considered a regional allocation with short cold ischemia (CIT) but not human-leukocyte-antigen (HLA)-matching. The acceptance of organs aged >= 75 years is also still controversial within the ESP. Methods. In a multicenter approach, 179 kidney grafts >= 75 years (mean donor age 78 years) that were transplanted in 174 patients in 5 German transplant centers were analyzed. The primary focus of the analysis was long-term outcome of the grafts and the impact of CIT, HLA matching, and recipient related risk factors. Results. The mean graft survival was 59 months (median 67 months) with a mean donor age of 78.3 +/- 2.9 years. Grafts with 0 to 3 HLA-mismatches had a significantly better overall graft survival compared to grafts with >= 4 mismatches (69 months vs 54 months; P = .008). The mean CIT was short (11.9 +/- 5.3 hours) and had no impact on graft survival. Conclusion. Recipients receiving a kidney graft from donors aged >= 75 years can benefit from nearly 5 years of survival with a functioning graft. Even minimal HLA matching may improve long term allograft survival.
Altmetric