On Tuesday, the surgeon announced the unfortunate passing of the patient, who had received a kidney transplant from a pig along with an implanted device to support her cardiac function.
Lisa Pisano was admitted to NYU Langone Health in critical condition due to kidney and heart failure and underwent a remarkable pair of surgeries in April. Initially, Ms. Pisano, a resident of New Jersey, showed promising signs of recovery. However, after approximately 47 days, her medical team at NYU Langone Health made the difficult decision to remove the pig kidney and resume dialysis treatment. This intervention was necessary because her prescribed heart medications had caused damage to the transplanted organ.
Despite receiving dialysis treatment and having an implanted heart pump, Mr. Pisano eventually necessitated hospice care and peacefully passed away on Sunday. Dr. Robert Montgomery, a highly regarded transplant surgeon at NYU Langone, confirmed this unfortunate event in an official statement.
Montgomery applauded Pisano for his commendable efforts in undertaking the recent xenotransplantation experiment, focused on the transplantation of pig organs into humans. This groundbreaking research aims to address the impending shortage of viable organs for future transplantation, thereby establishing a lasting solution to this critical issue.
"Lisa played a crucial role in advancing our progress towards the realization of a future wherein the sacrifice of one life for another's survival becomes unnecessary," Montgomery asserted. "Her exceptional bravery and benevolence will forever be commemorated."
In April, the individual, aged 54, named Pisano, informed The Associated Press that she was aware of the potential lack of efficacy in the pig kidney; however, she proceeded nonetheless, taking a calculated risk. Furthermore, in the event that it did not prove successful for her, there was the possibility that it may have benefited another individual.
Pisano became the second recipient to ever undergo a kidney transplant from a genetically modified pig. The initial recipient, Richard "Rick" Slayman, underwent the procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital and unfortunately passed away in early May, approximately two months following the surgery. His physician has clarified that his demise was attributed to preexisting heart disease and not a consequence of the transplant.
More than 100,000 individuals are currently listed on the United States transplant waiting list, with the majority requiring kidney transplants, tragically resulting in the deaths of numerous patients during this prolonged wait. In response to this pressing issue, a number of biotechnology enterprises have commenced the genetic modification of pigs in order to produce organs with greater similarity to human organs, therefore minimizing the likelihood of rejection by the recipient's immune system.
Furthermore, aside from the aforementioned pair of pig kidney experiments, the University of Maryland conducted pig heart transplantations on two individuals who had exhausted all alternative treatment options; regrettably, both individuals succumbed within a matter of months.
However, the insights gained from those aforementioned attempts, in conjunction with studies conducted on donated bodies, instill optimism among doctors as they aspire to initiate official clinical trials in the upcoming year, focusing on patients who are not severely ill.