One of the marvels of modern biotechnology was the pig kidney transplant, but less than two months after it was made to replace the human organ, surgeons had to remove it. The kidney from the genetically modified pig failed due to a lack of blood flow from the organ.
The procedure was performed in April, only 47 days after the xenotransplant at the NYU Langone Transplant Institute.
Pig Kidney Transplant to Human Removed by Surgeons
The pig kidney and heart pump recipient, Lisa Pisano, 54, recently went into an operation where surgeons had to remove the failing organ to keep her alive, according to The New York Times. This was because the pig kidney was damaged due to the lack of blood flow into the organ related to the same heart pump administered to the patient.
Pisano's case was special, especially as she was the first to receive the xenotransplanted kidney and heart pump in one operation, particularly as she experienced both heart and kidney failure at the same time.
One novel finding in this case was no organ rejection from Pisano's body. However, the lack of blood flow led to complications where it needed to be removed.
Kidney Removed, Heart Pump Remains
The patient is still recovering in the hospital and is now requiring kidney dialysis after the pig kidney was removed. However, the heart pump remains in her body to help her condition. Her operation was approved by the FDA under special circumstances, as normally, it would be permitted to transplant an organ to a patient with a heart pump.
These procedures are still experimental, and xenotransplants can only be used to treat special cases like these.
Xenotransplant in Modern Medicine
The shortage of available organs for transplant has been a growing problem all over the world, and apart from the long wait time, there are a variety of different things that could go wrong along the way.
There was a previous study from researchers about how xenotransplant is effective for humans, with one case centering on a brain-dead patient given a pig heart instead of having his family pull the plug to end his life.
In 2023, there was a man given a genetically altered pig heart to replace his failing human heart amidst a critical moment where he faced his cardiovascular organ failing.
This was the second case of the pig heart transplant in history, and there were promising signs in this transplant, but six weeks after the operation, Lawrence Faucette died.
There is still much more to learn regarding xenotransplant, especially amidst this time of organ shortage and growing cases of patients needing new organs to continue their lives.
Pisano's case saw a promising combination of xenotransplant for her pig kidney and the heart pump, but it saw medical problems that led to complications that it was inadvertently removed to save her life.
