Lisa Pisano, the second person to receive a gene-edited pig kidney transplant, has returned to dialysis after surgeons had to remove the failing organ after just 47 days. NYU Langone Health reported that Pisano is stable following the removal of the pig kidney earlier this week. Initially, Pisano showed signs of recovery, but complications arose due to the challenges of managing both a mechanical heart pump and the new kidney, leading to multiple instances of low blood pressure that hindered optimal blood flow to the kidney.
This follows the earlier case of Richard “Rick” Slayman, the first patient to receive a pig kidney transplant, who died nearly two months post-transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital. However, his death was not attributed to the experimental procedure. Dr. Robert Montgomery, who led Pisano’s transplant, stated that the kidney eventually lost function, necessitating the discontinuation of immune-suppressing medications and the removal of the organ. Despite the setback, these cases contribute valuable insights into the ongoing development of xenotransplantation.
