The first person who received a heart transplant from a pig has died two months after the surgery, the hospital who treated him said on Wednesday, as per a report by AFP.
57-year-old David Bennett, who had received the transplant in January 2022, passed away on 8 March, according to the University of Maryland Medical System.
The heart was from a genetically-modified pig.
The surgery, which was hailed as a medical milestone, had made doctors around the world optimistic about cross-species organ donation as a possible solution to deal with the problem of the shortage of human organs for donation.
"His condition began deteriorating several days ago. After it became clear that he would not recover, he was given compassionate palliative care. He was able to communicate with his family during his final hours," the university stated.
Heart was Performing Well: Hospital
The hospital also added that the heart was performing well post-surgery for a number of weeks.
After the surgery, Bennett spent his time with his family, went through physical therapy, watched the Super Bowl and also spoke about seeing his dog, Lucky, after he would go home, AFP reported.
Bartley Griffith, the doctor who led the surgery, said, "He proved to be a brave and noble patient who fought all the way to the end. We extend our sincerest condolences to his family."
Case History
Bennett had come to the hospital in October 2021, following which he was put on emergency life support. It was made clear by the hospital that he was not eligible for a human heart transplant because of his extremely poor health.
Opting for the pig transplant, Bennett had said, "It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice,” The New York Times reported.
Despite the failure of the pig transplant in this case, doctors have said that they are optimistic about the future potential of cross-species transplants.
Muhammad Mohiuddin, director of the university's cardiac xenotransplantation programme, said, "We have gained invaluable insights learning that the genetically modified pig heart can function well within the human body while the immune system is adequately suppressed."
"We remain optimistic and plan on continuing our work in future clinical trials," he added.
(With inputs from AFP, The New York Times.)
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