Early outcomes following lung transplantation in patients aged 65 years and older

INTRODUCTION The number of lung transplantations performed is increasing worldwide. With an improved experience and outcomes, the age of the recipient on its own has ceased to be an absolute contra-indication. We report our first experience with lung transplantation in patients aged 65 years or older. METHODS From January 2014 to March 2019, the files of patients aged 65 years or older undergoing lung transplantation were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS During the study period, 241 patients underwent lung transplantation in Bichat hospital (Paris, France), including 25 recipients aged 65 years or older. Underlying diagnoses were interstitial (72%) and obstructive (28%) disease. The rate of single lung transplantation was 80%. Sixteen patients required ECMO assistance during the procedure. Early complications were mostly grade III primary graft dysfunction (12%) and cellular rejection (20%). Overall one-year survival rate was 76%. CONCLUSION After a careful selection of the recipients, the early results of our retrospective single center series are encouraging. We continue to consider lung transplantation in rigorously selected recipients of aged 65 years and more.