The first recipient of a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died nearly two months after he underwent the procedure, his family and the hospital that performed the surgery said Saturday.
Richard “Rick” Slayman had the transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital in March at the age of 62. Surgeons said they believed the pig kidney would last for at least two years.
The transplant team at Massachusetts General Hospital said in a statement it was deeply saddened by Slayman’s passing and offered condolences to his family. They said they didn’t have any indication that he died as a result of the transplant.
I really appreciate this guy. He was close to dying when he got the pig’s kidney. He had to be very well informed on the risks. So where it was a purely desire to live longer or the knowledge that this would help progress this procedure for others. He was able to provide invaluable information by agreeing to this procedure. It’s too bad that his compounding medical issues didn’t let him enjoy the kidney for longer.
Well, kidney problems rarely do come alone.
Especially because he was on long term dialysis before the transplant. Dialysis is not a treatment, all it is a short term stop gap measure.
He has had a human kidney transplant which failed five years. Plus type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Five years is a pretty long time to be on dialysis. All of this together would build up a lot of damage to the body especially the heart.
And the fact he was Given one means he did not qualify for a human organ, because there was no prognosis of him living long enough after transplant.
[the transplant team] said they didn’t have any indication that he died as a result of the transplant.
Well, at least the concept is probably valid, then.
The patients name is metal AF.
Dick Slayer
Saw this article in local newspapers today with one notable exception. Found it in another article linked in the above apnews article.
The most ambitious attempt so far came in January, when doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center transplanted a pig heart into a dying 57-year-old. David Bennett survived for two months, evidence that xenotransplantation was at least possible. But initial testing missed that the organ harbored an animal virus. What caused Bennett’s new heart to fail and whether that virus played any role still isn’t known, the Maryland researchers recently reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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