New rule allows HIV-positive organ transplants — expected to shorten wait time for all

New rule allows HIV-positive organ transplants — expected to shorten wait time for all

People with HIV who need a kidney or liver transplant will be able to receive an organ from a donor with HIV under a new rule announced Tuesday by US health officials. Previously, such transplants could be done only as part of research studies. The new rule, which takes effect Wednesday, is expected to shorten the wait for organs for all, … Read more

NY woman receives first fully robotic double lung transplant: ‘An unbelievable thing’

NY woman receives first fully robotic double lung transplant: ‘An unbelievable thing’

Cheryl Mehrkar was an “adrenaline junkie” who relished being a scuba divemaster and riding her 2003 Harley-Davidson Sportster in North Carolina, Maine, and near her home in Dutchess County. She had also achieved a fourth-degree karate black belt and dabbled in skydiving and bungee jumping. Now, Mehrkar has a new feat for her unusual résumé … Read more

What is rapamycin? Devotees claim the drug can slow down aging

What is rapamycin? Devotees claim the drug can slow down aging

Rapamycin is a naturally occurring compound primarily used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. It’s also considered a promising anti-aging drug among longevity seekers. Rapamycin has been trending on social media, where biohackers like Dr. Peter Attia and Bryan Johnson tout it as the “gold standard” for people seeking to live a longer, healthier life. … Read more

Preschool teacher saves former student’s life by donating her liver: ‘The tears keep coming’

Preschool teacher saves former student’s life by donating her liver: ‘The tears keep coming’

Ezra Toczek, 5, got more than a gold star from his preschool teacher — he received a liver. The young child was put on the transplant list in February after being diagnosed with end-stage liver disease, and subsequent liver failure, as a result of damage to the organ suffered at birth. But in March, his former … Read more

Bizarre personality changes reported in organ transplant patients

Bizarre personality changes reported in organ transplant patients

The heart wants what the heart wants…regardless of whose chest it beats within. Recent research has found further correlation between organ transplant surgery and personality changes. In a study published in Transplantology, researchers at the University of Colorado (CU) had 47 participants (23 heart recipients and 24 other organ recipients) complete an online survey detailing their … Read more

Former pool rivals end feud after one donates kidney to save other’s life: ‘Kidney buddies for life’

Former pool rivals end feud after one donates kidney to save other’s life: ‘Kidney buddies for life’

He was a good friend to have in his pocket. A Pennsylvania man who once blasted his pool rival in a bitter Facebook post handed his competitor the ultimate apology by giving him the “Cadillac of kidneys” a decade later. Russ Redhead discovered James Harris Jr. desperately needed a kidney while competing at a pool … Read more

Doctors use breast implants to save lung transplant patient who nearly died from vaping

Doctors use breast implants to save lung transplant patient who nearly died from vaping

A Missouri man whose organs shut down due to his 10-year vaping habit was saved in an unconventional way — by getting outfitted with breast implants. “I thought it was awesome, kind of funny,” Davey Bauer, 34, told CBS News of the unorthodox operation, which went down in May at Chicago’s Northwestern Medical Center. “He was … Read more

First face-and-eye combo transplant makes history at NYU Langone: ‘Grateful beyond words’

First face-and-eye combo transplant makes history at NYU Langone: ‘Grateful beyond words’

Earlier this year, inside an operating room in New York City, a man’s life was transformed. When a gruesome work accident occurred two years ago, electric lineman Aaron James received a deadly 7,200-volt shock as his face accidentally touched a live wire. James, 46, suffered massive injuries, including the loss of his left eye, his … Read more

Pig kidney works a record 2 months in donated body, raising hope for animal-human transplants

Pig kidney works a record 2 months in donated body, raising hope for animal-human transplants

Dozens of doctors and nurses silently lined the hospital hallway in tribute: For a history-making two months, a pig’s kidney worked normally inside the brain-dead man on the gurney rolling past them. The dramatic experiment came to an end Wednesday as surgeons at NYU Langone Health removed the pig kidney and returned the donated body … Read more

Unvaccinated mom denied life-saving heart transplant accuses hospital of discrimination

Unvaccinated mom denied life-saving heart transplant accuses hospital of discrimination

A Melbourne mom being denied a lifesaving transplant under a “no jab, no heart” policy has accused the hospital of “ideological” discrimination for refusing the COVID vaccine. Vicki Derderian, 47, has been on mechanical life support since 2020 after her heart failed and is desperate for a transplant, but The Alfred Hospital deemed her ineligible to be … Read more

I gave my BFF a kidney — and my husband gave her husband one as well

I gave my BFF a kidney — and my husband gave her husband one as well

These lifelong friendships turned into life-saving ones. Christine “Chris” Morales and Debbie Thompson say they have been best friends since they were young girls growing up in California — and have continued to stay close in the decades since. The two bonded during high school cheerleading practice, moved into their first adult apartment together and … Read more