Survival after LDLT in recipients ≥70 years old in the United States. An OPTN/UNOS liver transplant registry analysis

BackgroundLiving donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in the elderly population is currently not well studied. There are single-center studies indicating that patient age should not be a barrier to LDLT, with similar outcomes compared to younger recipients. MethodsUsing UNOS/STAR data from 2010 to 2022 we retrospectively analyzed patients & GE;70 years old receiving a living donor graft (LDLT & GE;70y group) versus a deceased donor graft (DDLT & GE;70y group). In addition, we compared recipients & GE;70 years old undergoing LDLT versus patients 18-69 years old also undergoing LDLT. Donor and recipient baseline characteristics, as well as postoperative outcomes including graft and patient survival were analyzed and compared between groups. ResultsRecipients in the LDLT & GE;70y group showed less disease burden and spent significantly less time on the waitlist when compared to recipients in the DDLT & GE;70y group (102 [49-201] days versus 170 [36-336] days) respectively; p = .004. With the exception of a longer length of stay (LOS) in the LDLT & GE;70y group (p & LE; .001), postoperative outcomes were comparable with recipients in the DDLT & GE;70y group, including similar graft and patient survival rates at 1-, 3-, and 5-years. When compared to younger recipients of a graft from a living donor, patients in the LDLT & GE;70y group had similar post-transplant functional status, re-transplant rates and similar causes contributing to graft failure. However, significantly lower graft and patient survival rates were observed. ConclusionLDLT for recipients aged 70 or greater represents a faster access to transplantation in a safe and feasible manner when compared to similar- aged recipients undergoing DDLT.