A Quebec man, aged 64, has made history as the first person in North America to undergo a liver transplant using a regenerated liver. This groundbreaking technology, known as Liver Assist, has the potential to significantly increase the number of viable livers available for transplantation in its initial year. Gérard Landry, a resident of Nouvelle in Quebec, had been grappling with liver issues for over a decade, leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Before Landry’s surgery at Montreal’s Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), his doctor shared the exciting news that his liver had been regenerated using a newly developed machine. This innovative technology allows doctors to assess and treat donated livers outside the body, enabling the use of organs that would otherwise be deemed too risky for transplantation.
Dr. David Hénault, a liver transplant specialist at CHUM, spearheaded the project and oversaw Landry’s surgery. The Liver Assist system functions by connecting the donated liver to a machine that circulates an oxygen-rich fluid, reversing damage caused by oxygen deprivation outside the body. Subsequently, doctors can evaluate the liver’s performance in conditions resembling the human body, ensuring its suitability for transplantation.
The implementation of Liver Assist has the potential to augment the pool of available livers for transplant at CHUM, potentially offering an additional 20 to 24 livers within the first year of its use. The technology has shown promise in reducing complications, reoperations, and hospital stays for eligible patients, as evidenced by Landry’s swift post-transplant recovery.
Landry, currently recuperating in Montreal, anticipates returning to Gaspésie once his recovery progresses. He emphasizes the importance of organ donation, highlighting that advanced technologies like Liver Assist can only be effective if an adequate supply of donated organs is accessible. As Landry aptly puts it, “if you have a horse without a rider, you don’t have a ride.”