Utility of geriatric assessments in evaluation of older adults for kidney transplantation

BACKGROUND: While kidney transplantation has favorable outcomes in patients aged 65 years and older, many are not referred for evaluation despite having no contraindications. We wanted to determine whether incorporating geriatrics and geriatric assessments (GA), as part of kidney transplant evaluation at the University of Chicago Medicine, would help identify suitable candidates and improve transplantation outcomes among older adults. METHODS: Between 2012 and 2016, as part of their multi‐disciplinary transplant evaluation, 171 patients underwent an initial GA with the study geriatrician, who rated them on a five‐point scale from “poor” to “excellent,” and presented their cases to multidisciplinary transplant review meetings. Patients were followed until June 1st, 2021. Predictor variables included geriatric recommendation, clinical characteristics, and demographics. Outcomes of interest were mortality, receipt of transplant, and waitlist placement. RESULTS: Compared to patients rated “poor,” “marginal,” or “fair,” we found that patients that the geriatrician recommended as “good” or “excellent” were more likely to be waitlisted and receive a transplant. Favorably rated patients were also less likely to be removed from the waitlist due to becoming medically unfit, meaning worsening medical morbidity, frailty, and cognitive status. CONCLUSION: Including geriatricians to perform GAs as part of the transplant evaluation process can help identify suitable elderly candidates.