First-ever combined heart pump, pig kidney transplant saves life thanks to NYU surgeons
NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Surgeons at NYU are changing the game of modern medicine.
On Wednesday, they performed the first-ever combined mechanical heart pump and gene-edited pig kidney transplant surgery.
The life of one New Jersey woman suffering from heart and kidney failure forever changed. She's now looking forward to seeing her grandchildren grow up. This procedure is only the second known transplant of a gene-edited kidney.
Transplanting it on top of the heart pump opens many other opportunities for surgeries of this kind.
Jonathan Rizk is a digital journalist who has covered local news in New York City and Washington, D.C. He has been with PIX11 since August 2022. See more of his work here, and follow him on X and Facebook @OfficialRizk. Get in touch at jonathan.rizk@pix11.com.