First person to receive a genetically modified pig's heart dies 2 months after surgery

David Bennett, the man who made history as the first person to receive a genetically modified pig's heart died on Tuesday (March 8) at 57 years old. Bennett's condition began deteriorating several days before his death and the hospital stated that he was given "compassionate palliative care" as it was becoming certain that he would not recover. Bennett first came to UMMC as a patient in October of 2021 and was placed on a heart-lung bypass machine to keep him alive, but he was told by the doctors that he was ineligible for a conventional heart transplant. Bennett was at his last option when he was implanted with a genetically modified pig heart to prevent rejection. "Before consenting to receive the transplant, Mr. Bennett was fully informed of the procedure's risks, and that the procedure was experimental with unknown risks and benefits," the hospital said. It was on December 31 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency authorization for the surgery in the hope of saving his life. The miracle transplant surgery, and first of its kind took place on Jan 7 performed by a team at the hospital. The transplant performed "very well for several weeks without any signs of rejection," the hospital said on Wednesday (March 9). Pigs have been considered a source of potential transplants because of their organs being closely similar to humans but prior efforts at pig-to-human transplants failed because of genetic differences that caused organ rejection or viruses posing infection risk. JMS/Expat Media
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