Man Who Received Baboon Liver Fails to Awaken Fully

The world’s second baboon-to-human liver transplant recipient has failed to fully awaken four days after his surgery, possibly because his liver was not functioning as well as anticipated, doctors said Thursday.

As a result, doctors Thursday performed a liver biopsy on the patient, a 62-year-old man who has not been identified, said a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center spokeswoman. She said results of the one-hour biopsy, performed in the operating room, would not be available until late today.

“Surgeons decided to perform the biopsy because the liver was not functioning at anticipated levels,” the spokeswoman said. “This may be why the recipient had not fully awakened after his surgery.”

The patient had been able to open his eyes in response to the doctors’ requests Monday and the liver had appeared to be functioning normally, but on Thursday he was still extremely groggy and liver function had deteriorated.

The spokeswoman said the biopsy was a one-hour procedure performed in the operating room, during which doctors used a needle inserted through the patient’s abdomen and into his liver to remove a small sample of tissue.

After the biopsy, the patient was returned to the intensive care unit at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Presbyterian University Hospital, where he remained in critical condition.

The man was gravely ill with hepatitis B before he received his new liver in a 13-hour operation Sunday. Doctors had estimated that the patient would have survived for less than a month without the transplant.