The woman died of a brain hemorrhage on Saturday. “The operation was a complete success. For Italy, this is a record we can be proud of,” said Francesca De Pace, head of the Marche Regional Transplant Center, in a press release on Monday. “I would like to thank the donor’s family for their generosity and the team at Fabriano Hospital for making the transplant possible,” said De Pace.
In 2021, the average age of donors in Italy was 60.4 years, in 2002 it was 52 years. A total of 46.8 percent of organ removals in 2021 concerned the deceased over the age of 65, 13.6 percent were over 80 years old.
“The average age of donors is increasing due to the increase in life expectancy, but above all thanks to the increasing ability of the transplant network to successfully use older organs, while maintaining very high quality and safety standards even in this type of transplant,” explained Massimo Cardillo, Director of the National Transplant Center.
The liver can still function optimally in old age, so transplants are possible for people over 90 years of age. “Unfortunately, older people often mistakenly believe that they cannot donate organs because of their age. The Fabriano case shows that anyone, regardless of age, can be a donor,” Cardillo said.
Source: Nachrichten
