Transplanted liver can last more than 100 years, study claims

The total lifespan of the liver in the body of the donor and recipient can exceed a hundred years, the American College of Surgeons 2022 Scientific Forum reported.

The researchers looked at 253,000 transplant cases between 1990 and 2022. They identified 25 donor organs with a cumulative age (the sum of the donor's original age at transplant and the recipient's survival rate) of at least 100 years.

They found that these organ donors had lower blood transaminase levels (indicative of the extent of liver damage), lower rates of diabetes, and fewer infections, although they were significantly older than the average donor age (84.7 versus 38.5 years).

As for the recipients, they had significantly lower stages of liver disease at the time of transplantation. The rate of rejection after 12 months was not significantly different between "centenarian" and middle-aged organ recipients, but organ and patient survival rates were higher than average.

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