AmericaDoctors for the first time performed a mechanical heart pump combined with a pig kidney transplant for a living patient.
Patient Lisa Pisano, 54, of New Jersey, has heart failure and end-stage kidney disease that requires regular hemodialysis. The transplant took place at NYU Langone Hospital. Pisano had a heart pump inserted on April 4. This is a device that pumps a machine from the lower chambers of the heart to the rest of the body, to treat weak hearts or heart failure. After that, she received a gene-edited pig kidney transplant on April 12.
“I have tried everything, exhausted all resources. So when the opportunity comes, I will take advantage of it,” the patient said.
This is the first reported organ transplant in a human using a mechanical heart pump, as well as the second pig kidney transplant into a living person. The first person to receive a gene-edited pig kidney transplant, Rick Slayman, 62, at Massachusetts General Hospital in March, has now been discharged healthy.
Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, who directed the surgery, said Pisano’s previous health condition was very poor, and his life expectancy could only be measured in days or weeks.
In addition to kidney disease and heart failure requiring a stent, Pisano also had to have a urinary catheter. Previously, in 2020, she was diagnosed with colon cancer and had to have a large part of this organ removed. Underlying medical conditions prevented her from receiving her heart and kidneys normally.
Doctors have proposed that the US Food and Drug Administration allow xenotransplantation under a “humane” policy, helping terminally ill patients with no other options to access medical treatment. Medical products studied outside of clinical trials.
Dr. Robert Montgomery is performing a pig kidney transplant for Ms. Lisa Pisano at NYU Langone Hospital, April 12. Image: NYU Langone
The kidney came from a pig that had disrupted the gene responsible for producing a sugar found on the surface of animal cells, called alpha-gal. This type of sugar can be recognized and attacked by human antibodies. The pig’s thymus – which determines immunity – is placed under the kidney capsule to help Pisano’s immune system recognize this organ.
Dr. Montgomery noted that editing pig genes in this case is much simpler than other transplants in living people. He said the method would solve two core problems, which are the scarcity of organs and the complexity of the gene editing process.
He said the patient “has a long way to go”. However, her kidneys and heart are working much better. Doctors are watching for problems like transplant rejection or infection. They predicted she would need at least a month to fully recover and leave the hospital.
Pisano said before the surgery, she had serious problems walking. She couldn’t stand up and breathe. “Now, I feel a comfort I haven’t had for a long time,” she said.