Richard Rick Slayman, man with pig kidney dies after 2 months

Admin I Monday, May 13, 2024

 

MASSACHUSETTS, United States – The widely celebrated medical milestone that a genetically modified kidney of a pig might just be a capable replacement for human beings in need of kidney transplant seems to have dissipated following the death of  Richard Rick Slayman.

Richard Rick Slayman died on Sunday, May 12 at the Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States two months after what  his  well acclaimed successful surgery, with a modified pig kidney.  He was 62. The transplant was done March 16, 2024.

The hospital, who announced the death of the middle aged man did not say if the transplant was responsible for his death.

Although such a transplant failed in the past, that of Rick Slayman was successful and celebrated as a historic milestone.

 Slayman suffered from end stage kidney disease  before his kidney was replaced with that of a pig. He was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and hypertension.  

In the year 2018, Slayman had a human kidney transplant but it started failing after five years. Doctors had assured Slayman that he would no longer need dialysis after the pig kidney transplant since the organ was functioning well inside his system.

Beside Slayman, two other patients have also received pig heart transplant though the procedures were unsuccessful as the recipients died two weeks later. In one of the cases, there was rejection of the organ, which doctors say is normal with most transplants. 

Prior to his death, Slayman said one of the reasons he underwent this procedure was was to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive.

“Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever. To us, Rick was a kind hearted man with  quick-witted sense of humour who was fiercely  dedicated to his family, friends and co-workers”, the family said.