Kidney transplantation (KT) from donors with acute kidney injury (AKI) has been associated with delayed graft function (DGF) but similar graft survival compared with KT from donors without AKI. Kidneys from ≥65-year-old donors with comorbidities are more susceptible to cold ischemia time (CIT) and DGF and it is unknown whether such elderly kidneys with AKI can also be transplanted with satisfactory outcomes. All KTs from ≥65-year-old donors performed at our center from 1999 to 2019 (n = 233) were retrospectively analyzed and short- as well as long-term outcomes were compared for KTs from donors with (n = 64) and without AKI (n = 169). There were no significant differences regarding the frequency of DGF as well as the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 1 and 3 years post-transplant between the no-AKI and the AKI group (DGF: no-AKI 30.2% vs. AKI 40.6%, P = .17; eGFR at 1-year: 31.9 ml/min/1.73 m2 vs. 35.5 ml/min/1.73 m2 , P = .32; at 3-years: 33.8 ml/min/1.73 m2 vs. 40.9 ml/min/1.73 m2 , P = .18; respectively). Death-censored graft survival and patient survival were also not significantly different. Multivariable Cox regression analysis did not identify AKI as a significant risk factor for graft loss or death. Following careful donor and recipient selection, kidneys from ≥65-year-old AKI donors may potentially be transplanted with satisfactory outcomes.
Keywords: acute kidney injury; aged; donor selection; kidney transplantation.
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