Intention-to-treat Analysis of Patients Aged 70 Years and Older Awaiting Kidney Transplantation in Post-Kidney Allocation System Era.

Background: The US population is aging, and so the number of patients treated for end-stage renal disease is on the rise. In the United States, 38% of people over 65 y old have chronic kidney disease. There continues to be a reluctance of clinicians to consider older candidates for transplant, including early referrals.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database of all adults ≥70 y old undergoing kidney transplants from December 1, 2014, to June 30, 2021. We compared patient and graft survival in candidates who were transplanted while on hemodialysis versus preemptive with a living versus deceased donor kidney transplant.

Results: In 2021, only 43% of the candidates listed for transplant were preemptive. In an intention-to-treat analysis from the time of listing, candidate survival was significantly improved for those transplanted preemptively versus being on dialysis (hazard ratio 0.59; confidence interval, 0.56-0.63). All donor types, donor after circulatory death, donor after brain death, and living donor, had a significant decrease in death over remaining on the waiting list. Patients who were on dialysis or transplanted preemptively with a living donor kidney had significantly better survival than those receiving a deceased donor kidney. However, receiving a deceased donor kidney significantly decreased the chance of death over remaining on the waiting list.

Conclusions: Patients ≥70 y old who are transplanted preemptively, whether with a deceased donor or a living donor kidney, have a significantly better survival than those who are transplanted after initiating dialysis. Emphasis on timely referral for a kidney transplant should be placed in this population.