Donors in Lung Transplantation: Does Age Matter?

The authors performed a structured review of the evidence surrounding the effect of donor age in lung transplantation. They examined whether or not lungs from donors over sixty years old had equivalent outcomes to lungs from younger donors. Twelve articles supplied the best evidence to answer this question. It was notable that recipients with interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, or cystic fibrosis had worse overall survival with grafts from older donors. The authors concluded that when allocated to the recipient who would most benefit, lung grafts from older donors offer results comparable to those obtained with younger donors.