Donor age as a risk factor for patient survival in the liver transplant.

Abstract Objectives Our aims were to establish whether there is a relationship between donor age and patient and graft survival among liver transplant recipients and to determine the age at which this relationship emerges. Patients and methods We reviewed 254 consecutive liver transplants performed at the Hospital Ramon y Cajal, Madrid in 206 patients over a 79-month period. Survival rates were determined using Kaplan-Meier curves analyzed by the log-rank method. Results The mean donors age was 42.08 ± 17.89 years (range 8–79 years). The minimum and mean patient follow-up times were 6 months and 29.48 ± 23.37 months. Mean patient and graft survival rates, along with their standard errors and 95% confidence intervals were 62.47 ± 2.42(57.72– 67.21) and 57.30 ± 2.40(52.59–62.01) months, respectively. Mean survival was lower ( P = .047) among patients who received a graft from a donor of 30 or more years (58.24 ± 3.05[52.28–64.21] months) versus from a younger donor (66.19 ± 3.55[59.23–73.15] months). Graft survival was also significantly different ( P = .037) for donors older versus younger than 25 years (53.04 ± 2.83[47.50–58.58] and 64.72 ± 4.11[56.67–72.77] months, respectively). Conclusions Patients undergoing liver transplant show lower survival when the donor is older than 30 and the survival of the implanted graft is also lower when the donor is over 25.