Heart transplantation in patients 70 years of age and older: initial experience.
BACKGROUND
Heart transplantation has become a highly successful therapeutic option for patients with end-stage cardiomyopathy. Consequently, the criteria for patient selection, particularly regarding recipients' upper age limits, have been expanded, with an increasing number of people older than 60 years of age now undergoing transplantation.


METHODS
A retrospective analysis of 6 patients 70 years of age and older who underwent heart transplantation was done; their clinical courses and outcomes were compared with those of younger patients, with a special emphasis on their posttransplantation quality of life.


RESULTS
All 6 patients are alive and clinically well at a mean follow-up of 12 months. No age-related complications have been observed, and their quality of life is excellent. There has been a very low incidence of rejection, as well as few episodes of rejection.


CONCLUSIONS
Heart transplantation in selected people 70 years of age and older can be performed successfully with a morbidity comparable to that seen in younger patients and excellent short-term survival. This initial experience is encouraging, but further studies and long-term follow-up are needed to validate the more routine application of this therapy.
Blanche
C
C
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California 90048, USA.
Matloff
J M
JM
Denton
T A
TA
Czer
L S
LS
Fishbein
M C
MC
Takkenberg
J J
JJ
Trento
A
A
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate