Surgery
Latest about Surgery
![Kidney transplant recipient Corey Mayes, a middle-age Black man with a beard and wearing a black t shirt, stands in the doorway of his home.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PcPcc3r7r29owJMsbgqh5V-320-80.jpg)
Kidneys donated by Black people are more likely to be thrown away. A bioethicist explains why.
By Ana S. Iltis published
As it is now, the U.S. transplant system treats kidneys from all Black donors as if they are at higher risk for failing, even though only some are.
![Patient shown walking up stairs while wearing the new prosthetic limb. Only the bottom half, from the middle of their torso downwards is shown.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DPmYE2DCQGez6TDiB8droD-320-80.jpg)
Bionic legs plugged directly into nervous system enable unprecedented 'level of brain control'
By Emily Cooke published
A first-of-its-kind study demonstrated that a new nervous system-controlled bionic leg helps leg amputees walk more naturally than traditional prosthesis.
![A patient is shown in the foreground of the image lying down on a bed in the operating theatre. He is wearing a blue surgical hair net and is covered by a white sheet. He is smiling at the camera with his thumbs up. Behind the bed is a group of medical professionals all dressed in blue scrubs, with blue surgical face masks and hair nets.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bCo9cuie3Bbe6U9K3UkWP8-320-80.jpg)
US man gets kidney transplant while awake
By Emily Cooke published
Being able to transplant kidneys using only local anesthetic could shorten patients' hospital stays and make the procedure accessible to more people, doctors say.
![Close-up picture of Rick Slayman. He is sat on a hospital bed and wearing what looks like a black sweatshirt.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FsVNzSpJcmCsERxwtdG5FM-320-80.png)
1st person to receive a pig kidney transplant has died
By Emily Cooke published
Rick Slayman was the first person in the world to receive this pioneering surgery in March 2024.
![photo of surgeons in blue scrubs, hair nets and masks gathered near an operating table as a monitor shows a kidney being placed into the patient's body](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5Yo7FRm25u2mkSYr33p9FP-320-80.jpg)
'We have combined two marvels of modern medicine': Woman gets pig kidney and heart pump in groundbreaking procedures
By Nicoletta Lanese published
In a medical first, doctors transplanted a gene-edited pig kidney into a human patient after giving her a new heart pump.
![a woman in blue scrubs, gloves and a face mask removed a bagged organ in a jar in preparation for surgery](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/doBpDE8kRMECPKBX8sYpM3-320-80.jpg)
Pig kidney transplanted into human patient for 1st time ever
By Nicoletta Lanese published
Doctors in Boston performed the first pig kidney transplant in a living patient.
![Close-up image of the new implantable device, called BioSUM, that is slightly bent showing its flexible design. It is transparent-looking with black circles of metal embedded within it. The background of the image is blurred.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MjLdWWuz6wJtbL45eg6haR-320-80.jpg)
Life-threatening 'leaks' after surgery could be flagged faster with tiny new device
By Emily Cooke published
A new implantable device, so far tested in rats and pigs, could soon be trialed in humans to help detect harmful post-surgery leaks in the body.
![a man in a hospital gown holds up a mirror to see his new facial transplant, while his doctor, dressed in a suit, and his wife and daughter sit and watch nearby](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iPBMYkTmX72xFhbYHFTKzR-320-80.jpg)
Doctors perform 1st-ever whole eye, partial face transplant
By Nicoletta Lanese published
This is the first whole-eye transplant performed in a person, and it was completed alongside a partial face transplant.
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