You May Not Live To Be 100-Years-Old, But New Research Has Delved Into Centurion Livers: Donated Livers With Impressive Longevity That Have Lived For Over A Century

N Lawrenson/peopleimages.com - stock.adobe.com -  illustrative purposes only, not the actual people
N Lawrenson/peopleimages.com - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual people - pictured above a couple dances in their kitchen

It’s not common for people to reach the 100-year-old milestone. Yet, you might be surprised to learn that your liver possibly could!

Researchers discovered a handful of livers that have actually functioned for more than a century. The study took into consideration the age of adult donors at the time of transplantation and the subsequent lifespan of the recipients. The findings highlighted the impressive longevity of this essential organ.

The resilience of donated livers, with the ability to function for over a century, left scientists intrigued and eager to understand how these organs maintain their vitality long after being transplanted.

First, the team analyzed “pre-transplant survival,” or in other words, the donor’s age. Then, they looked at how long donated livers were able to survive after being transplanted to recipients.

“We stratified out these remarkable livers with over 100-year survival and identified donor factors, recipient factors, and transplant factors involved in creating this unique combination where the liver was able to live to 100 years,” said Yash Kadakia, the study’s lead author and a medical student at the University of Texas.

The researchers gathered data from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) STARfile to identify livers that had a combined age of at least 100 years, calculated by adding the organ’s age at the time of transplant to its duration of function post-transplant.

Between 1990 and 2022, a total of 254,406 liver transplants were conducted. Among these quarter of a million procedures, 25 livers were classified as centurion livers, signifying that they had functioned for more than 100 years.

The donors of the centurion livers had an average age of 84.7 years, significantly higher than the average age of 38.5 years observed in donors for non-centurion liver transplants. Additionally, those who donated the centurion livers were less prone to diabetes and had fewer instances of donor infections.

“We previously tended to shy away from using livers from older donors,” detailed Christine S. Hwang, the study’s co-author.

N Lawrenson/peopleimages.com – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual people

“If we can sort out what is special amongst these donors, we could potentially get more available livers to be transplanted and have good outcomes.”

As of November 2023, there are currently 10,048 patients on the liver transplant waiting list. According to Dr. Hwang, turning to older liver donors may be the key to expanding the pool of liver donors.

The team’s study was presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress at the tail end of 2022. To read the researchers’ complete findings, visit the link here.

If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe

Would You Have Been Found Guilty Of Practicing Witchcraft In 1692? Here Are The Signs You Would Have Fit The Description Of A Witch

Dozens Of Fossilized Dinosaur Footprints Were Found On A Cliff Face In Alaska, And Nothing Like This Has Ever Been Uncovered Before

She Told Her Coworker To Mind Their Own Business After They Made A Nasty Comment About Her Teeth Looking Yellow

She Sold Her Old Car To Pay Off Some Of Her Husband’s Debt And Finally Saved Up Enough Money To Buy A New One, But Now Her Husband’s Angry That She Isn’t Using Her Savings To Pay More Of His Bills

This Chicago Teen Vanished From Her Home Over 15 Years Ago, And Signs Of A Break-In Were Discovered At Her House

Here’s How To Grow And Care For The Beautiful Star-Shaped Bloomerang Lilac, Which Will Make An Appearance In Your Garden Twice A Year

She Was A Doctor Who Played A Pivotal Role In Providing Better Working Conditions For American Coal Miners, Leading 350 Miners To Go On Strike In 1945

Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.

Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing ... More about Katharina Buczek

More About:

0What do you think?Post a comment.