Senior citizens -- even age 80 -- can be organ donors

A review of nearly 650 kidneys transplanted from deceased donors aged 50 to older than 80 from 2003 through 2013 found that patient survival and organ function was high, even among the oldest donors.

“According to these findings, organs from extremely aged donors represent a resource that should be accurately evaluated,” wrote Dr. Luigi Biancone, a nephrologist and lead author of the study published Thursday in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

The study echoes previous research and bolsters a growing view in the U.S. that older organs should be considered for some patients, said Dr. David Klassen, chief medical officer of the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS, the nonprofit group that oversees the nation’s transplant system. He was also medical director of the kidney and pancreas transplant programs at the University of Maryland Hospital for nearly 30 years.