Damaged human liver treated and transplanted into patient for the first time

The damaged organ was treated on a special machine which provided a continuous blood substitute

There is an increasing gap between the demand for liver transplants and those available (Getty)

A human liver has been successfully transplanted after being preserved outside of the host’s body for three days.

The damaged organ was treated on a special machine which provided a continuous blood substitute at normal body temperature before being put into the recipient.

The technique - known as ex situ normothermic perfusion - is better than the traditional way of putting it on ice, and may save lives by stretching the viability of the organ, researchers say.

A cancer patient in Switzerland who was on the waiting list for a liver was given the option of using a human liver that was not originally approved for the procedure but was treated with drugs.

The man, who was suffering from serious liver conditions including cancer, accepted the treated organ and underwent the transplant in May 2021.

He quickly recovered his quality of life without any signs of liver damage or rejection and, a year on, remains healthy.

The man was able to return home from the hospital 12 days after the surgery (Getty)

"I am very grateful for the life-saving organ,” he said.

"Due to my rapidly progressing tumour, I had little chance of getting a liver from the waiting list within a reasonable period of time."

Researchers at the University Hospital Zurich say the development could help save lives by increasing the number of livers available for transplant, and allow flexibility on operations too.

As well as treating the organ with drugs, the machine can also deliver blood and nutrients ensuring its in the best condition to be given to the recipient.

Clinical practice sees donor organs being stored for no more than 12 hours on ice before surgery, limiting the number of organs being able to be matched to a patient.

"Our therapy shows that by treating livers in the perfusion machine, it is possible to alleviate the lack of functioning human organs and save lives,” Pierre-Alain Clavien, director of the Department of Visceral Surgery and Transplantation, said.