Pig kidney works for a record 271 days inside the body of American patient

An American lived for a record 271 days with a transplanted pig kidney before Boston doctors replaced it with a human one earlier this year — a transplant that has kept him alive ever since, researchers said Thursday.

This patient’s treatment at Mass General Brigham marked a significant step forward in xenotransplantation, the transplantation of living organs from one species into another, according to findings published in The Lancet medical journal.

The case shows that a transplanted pig kidney can safely support renal function “while also serving as a bridge” to a subsequent transplant with a human kidney, the study authors wrote.

Tim Andrews was 66 when he received the pig kidney on Jan. 25, 2025. Over the following 271 days he needed no dialysis before receiving a human transplant, according to a statement from Mass General.

“His case represents the longest dialysis-free survival following porcine kidney xenotransplantation in a living human and the first transition to human kidney transplantation,” the hospital said.

Xenotransplantation could soon become a lifesaving option, according to the study’s lead author Dr. Leonardo Riella.

“The organ shortage is the greatest crisis we have right now in transplantation,” wrote Riella. “We know that the best treatment…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health