Record for transplant: 97-year-old donor liver

Rome. A record transplant was achieved in Italy. In Fabriano near the Adriatic port of Ancona, the liver of a 97.5-year-old woman, the largest registered organ donor in Italy, saved the life of a 50-year-old man who was seriously ill. The woman died of a brain haemorrhage on Saturday.

“The operation was completely successful. For Italy, this is a record we can be proud of,” Francesca de Pace, president of the Marche Regional Agriculture Center, said in a press release on Monday. “I would like to thank the donor’s family for their generosity and the Fabriano Hospital team for making the transplant possible,” De Pace said.

In 2021, the average age of donors in Italy was 60.4 years, and in 2002 it was 52 years. 46.8 percent of organ removals in 2021 involved deceased people over the age of 65, and 13.6 percent were over 80.

“The average age of donors is increasing”

“The average lifespan of donors is increasing due to the increase in life expectancy, but above all thanks to the growing ability of the transplant network to successfully use old organs, while maintaining very high standards of quality and safety even in this type of transplant,” explained Massimo Cardillo. Director of the National Center for Agriculture.

The liver can still function optimally even in old age, so that transplants are possible for people over 90 years old. “Unfortunately, older people often mistakenly believe that they cannot donate organs because of their age. Fabriano’s case shows that anyone, regardless of their age, can be a donor,” Cardillo said.