October 28, 2008
How long can a donated body part last?
Apparently, some donated body parts are more reliable than others.
Take, for instance the cornea taken from a Frenchman and implanted in a man's eye in 1958; he's still using it to see the world in 2008.
Now, a 50-year run is nothing to sneeze at, but it's even more impressive when you learn that the cornea's donor had been born in 1885.
OSLO (Reuters Life!) - Bernt Aune's transplanted cornea has been in use for a record 123 years -- since before the Eiffel Tower was built.
"This is the oldest eye in Norway -- I don't know if it's the oldest in the world," Aune, an 80-year-old Norwegian and former ambulance driver, told Reuters by telephone on Thursday. "But my vision's not great any longer."
He had a cornea transplanted into his right eye in 1958 from the body of an elderly man who was born in June 1885. The operation was carried out at Namsos Hospital, mid-Norway.
"I wouldn't be surprised if this is the oldest living organ in the world," eye doctor Hasan Hasanain at Namsos hospital told the Norwegian daily Verdens Gang.
In the 1950s, doctors expected it to work for just five years, Hasanain said. Such cornea operations date back to the early 20th century and were among the first successful transplants.
"It wasn't unusual to use corneas from elderly people who had died," Aune said.
The Eiffel Tower was built from 1887 to 1889. U.S. inventor Thomas Edison patented a film camera for motion pictures in 1888.
You see, quality parts are key. I figure if gearheads can keep antique cars running like new, there's no reason why we can' do the same for people, too.
Just don't over-torque my lug nuts, please.
By the way, did you know that the first corneal transplant took place in 1905? Neither did I.
Posted by Mike Lief at October 28, 2008 07:49 AM