Patient who underwent a pig kidney transplant was released from US hospital
The world's first recipient of a transplanted pig kidney has been discharged from the hospital nearly three weeks after the surgery. Rick Slayman is in good recovery and will now recuperate at home with his family, as announced by Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on X, previously known as Twitter.
The feeling of leaving the hospital today with one of the cleanest bills of health I've had in a long time is a moment I've hoped for over many years," stated the 62-year-old, as reported by doctors.
"Now it's a reality," he expressed. This day not only signifies a fresh start for him, he explained, but also for numerous others awaiting kidney transplants.
The individual, afflicted with a life-threatening kidney ailment, underwent the transplantation of a genetically modified organ on March 16, as per the hospital's announcement.
This process, known as xenotransplantation, has been a focus of research for many years. Pigs are particularly suitable as donors due to their metabolism's similarity to humans, although the genetic makeup of the donor animals must be altered for their organs to be viable for use.
Without genetic modification, immediate rejection reactions occur when the organs are transferred to humans.
The 62-year-old also exhibited signs of rejection on the eighth day post-operation, one of the doctors disclosed. Nonetheless, the immune reaction was effectively managed with medication.
"The first week was like a roller coaster," remarked the doctor.
Nevertheless, the individual responded to the treatment similarly to patients who had undergone organ transplants from human donors.
In recent years, two critically ill patients received pig hearts as replacement organs at the University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Unfortunately, both patients passed away a few weeks after the surgery.
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