Transplanted pig kidney works in US man's body for record 271 days
Monday 7th September 2026
A kidney transplanted from a pig has worked inside a patient for 271 days – the longest on record, say US doctors.
Tim Andrews said the transplant gave him "hope" and spared him months of needing to go to hospital to have his blood filtered by a dialysis machine.
The team at Mass General Brigham hospital say their work shows pig organs can be used as a "bridge" until a human transplant becomes available.
But the pig organ eventually failed and was removed so Andrews needed a short bout of dialysis before a donor was found.
Doctors and scientists are exploring xenotransplantation – using organs from other species – due to shortages of organs for transplants.