Transplanted pig kidney works in US man's body for record 271 days
A US patient successfully lived for 271 days with a transplanted pig kidney, marking a record for xenotransplantation. While the organ eventually failed, doctors view the procedure as a viable bridge for patients awaiting human donor organs.
Why it matters
This breakthrough offers a potential solution to the critical global shortage of human organs available for life-saving transplants.
Image source, Kate Flock/Massachusetts General Hospital Image caption, Patient Tim Andrews (centre) with Dr Tatsuo Kawai (left) and Dr Leonardo Riella (right)
Health and science correspondent Published 13 minutes ago A kidney transplanted from a pig has worked inside a patient for 271 days – the longest on record, say US doctors.
Tim Andrews said the transplant gave him "hope" and spared him months of needing to go to hospital to have his blood filtered by a dialysis machine.
The team at Mass General Brigham hospital say their work shows pig organs can be used as a "bridge" until a human transplant becomes available.
But the pig organ eventually failed and was removed so Andrews needed a short bout of dialysis before a donor was found.
Doctors and scientists are exploring xenotransplantation – using organs from other species – due to shortages of organs for transplants.
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