Mayo Clinic's First Paired Liver Donation Marks a Milestone in Transplant Medicine

In a groundbreaking achievement, Mayo Clinic in Rochester has completed its first paired liver donation, an innovative procedure that pairs living donors and recipients in need of transplants when direct matches are unavailable. This new option could significantly increase transplant opportunities for patients with failing livers, who often wait months—or even longer—on organ donation lists.

The paired liver exchange involved two women with liver disease who received transplants in August 2024. Both donors, including an altruistic physician who had previously donated a kidney, provided a portion of their liver to patients they had never met. This pairing marked the first time a paired liver donation had been performed in Minnesota, offering new hope to those waiting for life-saving procedures.

Expanding Transplant Options for Liver Patients

Paired donations have long been used for kidney transplants, but liver exchanges remain relatively rare due to the organ's shorter window for viability—typically needing to be transplanted within 12 hours. Mayo Clinic had protocols in place for two years, but this was their first opportunity to perform a paired liver donation. This procedure not only provided life-saving transplants for two women but also demonstrated the potential to expand the pool of liver donors.

Dr. Timucin Taner, chairman of transplant surgery at Mayo, hopes that this success will inspire more living liver donations. While deceased donors remain the primary source for liver transplants, living donations and paired exchanges offer a promising new path for reducing wait times and saving lives. Currently, over 140 people in Minnesota are waiting for liver transplants, with many experiencing worsening health while they wait.

Why This Matters 

The significance of this procedure lies in its potential to address the critical shortage of donor livers, a major challenge in transplant medicine. As of last year, nine people in Minnesota died while waiting for liver transplants, highlighting the urgency of increasing donation options. Paired liver donations offer a new avenue to help those who might otherwise face long and uncertain waits.

For healthcare professionals, this development emphasizes the importance of innovative approaches to organ donation and the role that living donors can play in saving lives. As the medical community explores more opportunities for paired exchanges, collaboration among transplant centers could be key to scaling these efforts and improving patient outcomes nationwide.