In liver transplantation, older donor age is a well-known risk factor for dismal outcomes, especially due to the high susceptibility of older grafts to ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, whether the factors correlating with impaired graft and patient survival following the transplantation of older grafts follow a linear trend among elderly donors remains elusive. In this study, liver transplantations between January 2006 and May 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. Ninety-two recipients of grafts from donors ≥65 years were identified and divided into two groups: (1) ≥65-69 and (2) ≥ 70 years. One-year patient survival was comparable between recipients of grafts from donors ≥65-69 and ≥70 years (78.9% and 70.0%). One-year graft survival was 73.1% (donor ≥65-69) and 62.5% (donor ≥ 70), while multivariate analysis revealed superior one-year graft survival to be associated with a donor age of ≥65-69. No statistically significant differences were found for rates of primary non-function. The influence of donor age on graft and patient survival appears not to have a distinct impact on dismal outcomes in the range of 65-70 years. The impact of old donor age needs to be balanced with other risk factors, as these donors provide grafts that offer a lifesaving graft function.
Keywords: age; elderly donor; ischemia-reperfusion injury; liver transplantation; old donor; risk stratification.