2024-05-14 14:30:20
The first person to have a genetically modified pig kidney transplanted died on Saturday, nearly two months after undergoing the procedure, his family and the hospital that performed the surgery said.
Richard “Rick” Solomon, 62, underwent the transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital in March. Surgeons said they believed the pig’s kidney would last at least two years.
The Massachusetts General Hospital transplant team said in a statement that they were deeply saddened by Suleiman’s death and offered their condolences to his family. They added that they had no indication that he died as a result of the transplant.
Suleiman is the first person to receive a genetically modified pig kidney after two men received heart transplants from pigs, before they died within months.
Suleiman had a kidney transplant at the hospital in 2018, but was forced to return to dialysis last year when signs of failure appeared.
When dialysis complications arose that required repeated procedures, his doctors suggested a pig kidney transplant.
More than 100,000 people in the United States are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, and thousands die every year before their turn comes.
Last updated: May 12, 2024 – 20:47
Suggest a correction
2024-05-14 14:30:20