First-ever Pig Kidney Transplant Recipient Discharged From The Hospital

Richard Slayman

ROUGHLY three weeks following the procedure, the world's first transplant recipient of a pig kidney was allowed to leave the hospital.

The first human kidney transplant was performed on March 16th, when 62-year-old Richard Slayman received the procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States.

The “successful” four-hour surgery, according to the hospital, involved the use of a genetically altered pig kidney.

Slayman has had hypertension and type 2 diabetes for a long time.

Prior to obtaining a kidney transplant from a deceased human donor in December 2018, he spent many years on dialysis.

Approximately five years after the kidney's deterioration, Slayman was compelled to start dialysis again in May 2023.

The Massachusetts General Hospital announced in a statement on X that Slayman had been released and was doing well.

“We are happy to share that today, Rick Slayman, our first patient to ever receive a genetically edited pig kidney transplant, has been discharged from the hospital. He is recovering well and will continue to recuperate at home with his family,” the post reads.

According to the doctors, the 62-year- old said leaving the hospital with one of the cleanest bills of health he has had in a long time is one wish he had for many years.

“Now it's a reality,” Slayman said.

“The day not only meant a new beginning for him, he said, but also for many other people who were waiting for a kidney transplant,” he was quoted as saying.

According to reports, the patient began to exhibit rejection symptoms on the eighth day following the procedure; nevertheless, the immunological response was managed with medicine.

“It was a roller coaster the first week,” the doctors said.