A woman who underwent a pig kidney transplant and had a heart device implanted to aid her heart function has passed away, as announced by her surgeon. Lisa Pisano, from New Jersey, was in critical condition from kidney and heart failure when the surgeries were conducted at NYU Langone Health in April. While Pisano initially showed signs of improvement after the procedures, complications arose when her heart medications damaged the pig kidney, leading to its removal and a return to dialysis for Pisano. Despite medical interventions including the implanted heart pump, Pisano eventually transitioned to hospice care and passed away, according to Dr. Robert Montgomery, the transplant surgeon at NYU Langone.
Dr. Montgomery commended Pisano for her courage in participating in the experimental pig organ-to-human transplant, known as xenotransplantation. The goal of such research is to address the critical shortage of available organs for transplantation by exploring alternatives like pig organs. Pisano, aged 54, acknowledged the risks associated with the pig kidney transplant back in April, stating that even if it didn’t work for her, it might benefit someone else. Pisano was the second person to receive a kidney from a gene-edited pig, following Richard “Rick” Slayman, who also underwent a similar transplant and passed away due to preexisting heart disease.
With over 100,000 individuals on the U.S. transplant waiting list, many in need of kidneys, and thousands dying while waiting, efforts to genetically modify pig organs to be more compatible with humans are ongoing. Apart from the kidney transplants, there have been instances of pig heart transplants into patients with limited options, resulting in fatalities. Nonetheless, insights gained from these procedures and other related research have paved the way for potential clinical trials in the near future, aimed at patients who are not as critically ill.
The experimentation and research in xenotransplantation and other innovative approaches to address organ shortages are crucial steps in the medical field’s quest to provide lifesaving alternatives for patients awaiting transplants.
