A New Hampshire man who made medical history by living with a genetically modified pig kidney for a record 271 days has had the organ removed after doctors detected declining function. Tim Andrews, 67, received the transplant in January at Mass General Brigham, becoming the fourth living patient in the United States to receive a pig kidney designed to prevent organ rejection and other complications.

Why Was The Organ Removed?

Surgeons decided to remove the pig kidney after observing a steady decline in its function. Hospital officials said Tim Andrews will now return to dialysis while remaining on the waiting list for a human kidney. Despite the setback, doctors called his case a milestone in advancing research into xenotransplantation- the use of animal organs in human patients.

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