First Paired Living Liver Transplant at Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Mayo Clinic has announced another first for the world-famous healthcare provider.

A news release says surgeons in Rochester recently performed Mayo Clinic's first "paired living" liver donation. The statement says only a handful of transplant centers in the United States offer paired liver donation because of the logistical challenges involved. The operations took place in August, and Mayo Clinic says both donors and recipients are doing well.

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In a paired living liver donation, donors who find themselves poorly matched with a family member or friend needing an organ give the "gift of life" to a different recipient and their loved one receives a liver from a better matched donor.

The Mayo Clinic news release says, at any given time, there are approximately 10,000 people on the waiting list for a liver transplant in the US and about 20% of those people will die waiting for a transplant.

"Liver transplantation is the only treatment option for most people with end-stage liver disease. But sadly, there are not enough donated livers available for everyone who needs one. That is why living liver donation is so important," says Timucin Taner, M.D., Ph.D., division chair of Transplant Surgery at Mayo Clinic who led the team that completed the clinic's first paired liver donation.

According to Mayo Clinic, a person can donate up to 70% of their liver because the organ has the ability to regenerate itself within a month.

"The biggest misconception about living donation is sometimes people think that they won't be able to have a normal life after the donation, which is wrong," Dr. Taner says. "It is a big operation, and it is important for patients to understand that. But once it is over, the liver regenerates to its full size, and the vast majority of people don't have long-term consequences after donation."

The news release says the so-called "liver chain" that led to Mayo Clinic's first paired living transplant began with Dr. Michael Broeker of Eagan, who agreed to give a portion of his liver to a stranger.