Octogenarian donors in liver transplantation grant an equivalent perioperative course to ideal young donors

BACKGROUND: Use of grafts from very old donors for liver transplantation is controversial. AIM: To compare the perioperative course of patients receiving liver grafts from young ideal vs octogenarian donors. METHODS: Analysis of the perioperative course of patients receiving liver grafts from young, ideal (18-39 years) vs octogenarian (≥80years) deceased donors between 2001 and 2014. RESULTS: 346 patients were studied: 179 (51.7%) received grafts aged 18-39 years whereas 167 (48.3%) received a graft from a donor aged ≥80years. Intra-operative cardiovascular (p=0.2), coagulopathy (p=0.5) and respiratory (p=1.0) complications and incidence of reperfusion syndrome (p=0.3) were similar. Patients receiving a young graft required more fresh frozen plasma units (p≤0.03) but did not differ for the need of packed red cells (p=0.2) and platelet (p=0.3) transfusions. Median ICU stay was identical (p=0.4). Patients receiving octogenarian vs young grafts did not differ in terms of death or re-transplant (p=1.0) during the ICU stay. Similar cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, infectious and neurological postoperative complication rates were observed in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Octogenarian donors in liver transplantation grant an equivalent perioperative course to ideal young donors.