A 64-year-old man from Quebec has made history as the first patient in North America to receive a regenerated liver using a cutting-edge technology that has the potential to increase the availability of transplantable livers significantly. Gérard Landry, a resident of Nouvelle in Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, had been battling liver issues for 15 years, leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Shortly before his liver transplant surgery at Montreal’s Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), his doctor informed him that the liver he was about to receive had been regenerated by a novel machine.
The innovative technology, known as Liver Assist, enables medical professionals to treat and evaluate a donated liver externally before it is transplanted. For Landry, this meant receiving a liver that may have been considered too risky for transplantation without the regeneration process.
Dr. David Hénault, a liver transplant specialist at CHUM, spearheaded the project and conducted Landry’s surgery. The Liver Assist system functions by connecting a donated liver to a machine that circulates an oxygen-rich fluid through the organ, potentially reversing some of the damage caused by oxygen deprivation. This approach allows doctors to assess the liver’s function under conditions resembling the human body.
CHUM typically performs around 70 liver transplants annually. According to Hénault, a collaboration with Transplant Québec evaluated previously declined livers to identify those that could be salvaged using the new technology. The team projects that approximately 20 to 24 additional livers could become available for transplantation in the technology’s first year of operation, with potential for growth as its usage expands.
Hénault highlighted that studies indicate the technology can reduce complications, reoperations, and hospitalization durations for suitable patients. Landry’s post-transplant progress showed promising signs, with his blood work surpassing expectations just a day after the surgery. Hénault credited the machine for contributing to Landry’s successful outcome.
As Landry continues his recovery in Montreal, he anticipates returning to Gaspésie once he is fully healed. Grateful for his second chance at life, Landry hopes his story will inspire discussions about organ donation, emphasizing the critical role of donor organs in saving lives.
