Heart transplantation in patients seventy years of age and older: A comparative analysis of outcome

Objective: Advanced age has traditionally been considered a contraindication for heart transplantation because of the reported adverse effect of increased age on long-term survival. However, as the field of transplantation continues to evolve, the criteria regarding the recipient's upper age limit have been expanded and older patients are being considered as potential candidates. We analyzed the outcome of heart transplantation in patients 70 years of age and older and compared these results with those in younger patients (<70 years) over a 4-year period. Method: We retrospectively analyzed the results of 15 patients 70 years of age and older who underwent heart transplantation between November 1994 and May 1999 and compared them with results in 98 younger patients undergoing transplantation during the same period. Results: The older age group had a higher preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (P = .02), higher incidence of female donors (P = .02), and longer cardiac allograft ischemic time (P = .01). No differences were found regarding incidence of diabetes mellitus, donor age, donor/recipient weight ratio, and mismatch (<0.80). The 30-day or to-discharge operative mortality was similar in both groups (0% in the older vs 5.1% in younger patients). Actuarial survival at 1 year and 4 years was not statistically different between the older and younger patients (93.3% +/- 6.3% vs 88.3% +/- 3.3% and 73.5% +/- 13.6% vs 69.1% +/- 5.8%, respectively). The length of intensive care unit stay and total post-transplantation hospital stay, incidence of rejection, and incidence of cytomegalovirus infection were similar between the groups. Conclusions: Heart transplantation in selected patients 70 years of age and older can be performed as successfully as in younger patients (<70 years of age) with similar morbidity, mortality, and intermediate-term survival. Advanced age as defined (<greater than or equal to>70 years) should not be an exclusion criterion for heart transplantation. The risks and benefits of transplant surgery should be applied individually in a selective fashion.