Pioneering Procedure: First-Ever Mechanical Heart Pump and Pig Kidney Transplant on Living Patient in the U.S.
A groundbreaking procedure involving a mechanical heart pump and a pig kidney transplant on a living patient has been performed in America for the first time. Lisa Pisano, 54, from New Jersey, underwent the surgery at NYU Langone Hospital after being diagnosed with heart failure and end-stage kidney disease.
Pisano expressed her willingness to explore all treatment options available to her due to her deteriorating health condition. This procedure marks the first reported organ transplant using a mechanical heart pump and the second instance of a live pig kidney transplant in a human. Another patient who underwent a similar procedure, Rick Slayman, has been discharged from Massachusetts General Hospital in good health.
Dr. Robert Montgomery, the director of NYU Langone Transplant Institute, led Pisano’s surgery and emphasized the urgency of the procedure given her poor health condition. Pisano had a complex medical history, including previous diagnoses of colon cancer and the necessity for a urinary catheter. Her situation was further complicated by underlying health conditions that prevented her from receiving organ transplants through conventional means.
The innovative procedure involved a genetically modified pig kidney, which had its alpha-gal sugar gene disrupted to prevent rejection by the immune system. Dr. Montgomery explained that this approach simplifies the gene editing process for living organ transplants and addresses the challenges of organ scarcity. While Pisano still has a long road to recovery ahead, her kidneys and heart are functioning better post-surgery, and doctors are monitoring her progress closely.
Pisano shared that she had struggled to walk and breathe before the surgery but now feels a significant improvement in her quality of life. The medical community is closely watching the outcomes of these pioneering procedures to potentially expand access to life-saving treatments for patients with no other alternatives.
In summary, doctors at NYU Langone Hospital recently performed a groundbreaking procedure involving a mechanical heart pump and pig kidney transplant on Lisa Pisano for the first time in America’s history. The patient expressed willingness to explore all treatment options due to poor health conditions while Dr Montgomery emphasized urgency due to complexity of patient’s medical history that prevented conventional organ transplants.
The innovative procedure involved genetically modified pigs’ organs which were disrupted with alpha-gal sugar genes that would prevent rejection by immune systems thus addressing challenges of organ scarcity.
While Pisano still faces long road ahead but post-surgery results have shown an improvement in quality of life as well as functioning better kidneys and hearts compared to preoperative state.
Medical community is closely monitoring outcomes while exploring potential expansion of life-saving treatments for patients with no other alternatives
