A 64-year-old man from Quebec has made history in North America by being the first patient to undergo a liver transplant with a regenerated liver. This groundbreaking technology has the potential to significantly increase the availability of livers for transplant, with the potential to offer dozens of additional livers for transplant within its initial year of implementation.
Gérard Landry, a resident of Nouvelle in Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, had been battling liver issues for around 15 years, leading to cirrhosis and eventually liver cancer. Prior to his liver transplant surgery, his doctor informed him about the use of a new machine at Montreal’s Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) to regenerate the liver that he was about to receive.
Known as Liver Assist, this innovative technology enables doctors to treat and evaluate a donated liver outside the body before transplantation. For Landry, this meant receiving a liver that may have been considered too risky for transplantation without this technology.
Dr. David Hénault, a liver transplant specialist at CHUM, spearheaded the project and conducted Landry’s surgery. The Liver Assist system works by connecting a donated liver to a machine that circulates oxygen-rich fluid through the organ, potentially reversing damage caused by oxygen deprivation while the liver is outside the body.
By simulating conditions within the human body, doctors can assess the liver’s functionality using a blood-based solution. This process helps determine the viability of the liver for transplantation, with a focus on organs that are susceptible to damage during the transfer process.
The CHUM, which performs approximately 70 liver transplants annually, collaborated with Transplant Québec to identify livers previously declined for transplant that could be salvaged using this new technology. It is estimated that the Liver Assist machine could make an additional 20 to 24 livers available for transplantation in its first year, with the potential for further growth as the technology is more widely adopted.
Studies have indicated that this technology can reduce complications, reoperations, and hospital stays for suitable patients. Landry’s post-transplant recovery progress has been positive, with his blood work showing better-than-expected results shortly after the operation.
As Landry continues to recover in Montreal, he eagerly anticipates returning to Gaspésie to resume his recovery and reunite with his family, friends, and horses. He hopes that his experience will raise awareness about organ donation, emphasizing the importance of having donated organs available for those in need of life-saving transplants.