Older Age in Croatian Clinical Practice is not Discriminative Factor for Liver Transplantation

Sa？etak Background: Liver transplantation is a method of treatment for irreversible end-stage liver insufficiency. Improved treatment of various diseases has led to the extension of life expectancy and consequently older world population. It must be pointed out that there is no age limit either for organ donation or organ transplantation. Since the population is getting older, today more and more patients who receive liver transplantation are elderly patients. The aim of this study was to show the percentage of elderly patients who received liver transplantation in our centre, as well as to analyse the rate and type of complications of the treatment. The study was retrospective, and included patients treated by liver transplantation in the period between January 1, 2013 and September 1, 2019 at the University Hospital Merkur. There were 746 treated patients, 206 of whom (27.6%) were elderly (>65 years) patients. The main indication for the treatment was primary liver neoplasm (44.2%), followed by alcohol liver disease (29.6%), and other indications (26.2%). The mortality rate during operation and in the post-transplantation follow up period was 31%. The most frequent cause of death were infections, sepsis, and multiorgan failure. Conclusion: Older age is not a contraindication for liver transplantation, especially if it is a lifesaving procedure. Psychiatric assessment is an important and integral part of the pre- and post-transplantation follow-up phase