First Pig Kidney Transplant Patient Discharged From Hospital

The world’s first living recipient of a genetically edited pig kidney transplant, Rick Slayman has been discharged from the hospital.

A statement by Massachusetts General Hospital disclosed that Slayman was discharged on Wednesday, two weeks after his operation.

The statement which was posted on the X platform also noted that the patient was recovering and doing well from the surgery.

“He is recovering well and will continue to recuperate at home with his family,” it stated.

Slayman was quoted in the statement issued by the hospital saying: “This moment – leaving the hospital today with one of the cleanest bills of health I’ve had in a long time – is one I wished would come for many years. Now, it’s a reality and one of the happiest moments of my life.”

The 62-year-old manager with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, had previously said his doctors suggested that he try a pig kidney when he was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease last year.

His doctors stated last month that they thought Slayman’s new kidney could last years but also acknowledged that there are many unknowns in animal-to-human transplants.

Slayman’s surgery is the third such xenotransplant of a pig organ into a living human.

The first two transplants were hearts transplanted into living patients who had run out of other transplant options.