A man from Quebec, aged 64, has made history in North America as the first recipient of a regenerated liver through an innovative technology that could potentially increase the number of available livers for transplant by several dozen in its initial year. Gérard Landry, a resident of Nouvelle in Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, battled liver issues for around 15 years, leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Prior to his liver transplant surgery, his doctor revealed that the organ had been regenerated using a novel machine introduced at Montreal’s Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM).
The technology, known as Liver Assist, enables medical professionals to treat and evaluate a donated liver outside the body before implanting it. For Landry, this meant receiving a liver that might have been deemed too risky for transplantation otherwise. Dr. David Hénault, a hepatopancreatobiliary surgeon and liver transplant specialist at CHUM, spearheaded the project and performed Landry’s surgery. The Liver Assist system involves connecting a donated liver to a machine that circulates an oxygen-rich fluid through the organ to potentially reverse some damage caused by oxygen deprivation while outside the body.
According to Hénault, using a blood-based solution on the machine allows doctors to assess how the liver functions in conditions simulating the human body, indicating its viability for transplantation. The technology could significantly enhance the pool of available livers for transplantation, with projections suggesting an additional 20 to 24 livers could be made available in the first year alone, potentially increasing with wider adoption.
Dr. Hénault emphasized that the technology has shown promise in reducing complications, reoperations, and hospital stays for suitable patients. Following Landry’s transplant, positive outcomes were evident early on, with his post-operative blood work already surpassing expectations for his transplant type. Landry, still in recovery in Montreal, aims to return to Gaspésie to continue recuperation and reunite with his family, friends, and horses. He hopes his experience will inspire discussions on organ donation, emphasizing the crucial role of donated organs in saving lives.