A New Hampshire man fought for the chance at a pig kidney transplant, spending months getting into good enough shape to be part of a small pilot study of a highly experimental treatment. His effort paid off: Tim Andrews, 66, is only the second person known to be living with a pig kidney. Andrews is free from dialysis, Massachusetts General Hospital announced, and recovering so well from the Jan. 25 transplant that he left the hospital a week later. Andrews' surgery comes at a turning point in the quest to tell if animal-to-human transplants could help ease the shortage of donated human organs. The first four pig organ transplants — two hearts and two kidneys — were short-lived. But the fifth xenotransplant recipient, an Alabama woman not nearly as sick as prior patients, boosted the field — thriving for now 2½ months after a pig kidney transplant.
In a social media landscape shaped by hashtags, algorithms, and viral posts, nurse leaders must decide: Will they let the narrative spiral, or can they adapt and join the conversation?
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