Researchers at the Hartford Hospital in Connecticut found that only 1 out of 50 heart failure patients are considered for heart transplant surgery and that 1 out of 50 people who receive heart transplants are 70 years old or older.
Their study, "Clinical outcomes of older adults listed for heart transplantation in the United States" published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, suggests that survival rates of adults age 70 and older and adults between ages 18-69 are the same.
In short, success rates in heart transplant surgery has no age barrier, and that advanced age should not prevent people from being considered as candidates for heart transplant surgery.
Heart Transplants May Become More Common As People Age
Heart failure is common in older people and the leading cause of hospitalizations of those 65 years old and older. The condition develops when the heart can no longer pump enough blood with oxygen and nutrients for the body.
It is aggravated by other chronic conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and being overweight, according to the health website Ada.
However, the supply of donor's hearts is limited and doctors are forced to choose which patients have the most potential for a good recovery and long-term survival.
According to the Mayo Clinic, patients that are 70 years old or older were only considered for heart transplant surgery in the past if they are fit enough, able to take medications that are necessary to avoid rejection of the new heart, had strong support from family and friends, do not have vices like drinking and smoking, and have no other chronic diseases or infections.
But with the growing older adult population in the United States, that seems to be changing as more older people who receive heart transplants have positive results. Not to mention improvements in patient screening and care after surgery has allowed more older patients to be eligible for heart transplant surgery.
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Survival Rates of Heart Transplants Similar in All Ages
According to the study, the survival of up to five years after a heart transplant surgery is similar for patients aged 70 years and older and those younger than 70.
Dr. Abhishek Jaiswal and colleagues from the Hartford Hospital in Connecticut compared characteristics and outcomes for adults aged 70 years and older and those younger than 70 in a cohort analysis involving 57,285 patients listed for a heart transplant surgery bet 2000 to 2018, Newsmax Health reported.
They found that patients 70 years old and older who received a heart transplant had a similar risk of death as patients younger than 70.
EurekAlert! reported that researchers have there is no significant difference between the two groups for the mortality rate in the first year after the heart transplant surgery, given that older patients tend to receive hearts from older donors. The patient's Body Mass Index (a measure of body fat based on height and weight) and the time they spent on the transplant waiting list also eliminated the difference between the mortality rate of the two groups five years after the transplant.
Researchers said that their study proves that getting a heart transplant even at an advanced age might be the life-extending option for many people.
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