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 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.

  • Everythingispenguins@lemmy.worldEnglish
    30·
    6 months ago

    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.