Man Who Received Pig Heart In Medical First Dies 2 Months After Transplant

Topline

A man who made medical history in January by receiving a heart from a genetically altered pig has died, according to the University of Maryland School of Medicine, though the cause of death was not immediately clear.

A man has died two months after receiving a heart from a genetically altered pig in a historic … [+] surgery, though his cause of death was not immediately clear.

getty

Key Facts

David Bennett, a 57-year-old Maryland man, died Tuesday afternoon, just over two months after his January 7 transplant, according to a news release.

Bennett underwent an operation that took at least seven hours to receive the pig heart, which performed “very well for several weeks without any sign of rejection,” according to the medical school.

At the time of the procedure, Bennett was in such poor health from terminal heart disease that he was ineligible for a human transplant and could not receive an artificial heart pump.

Bennett agreed to the pig heart transplant as a last ditch gamble, which the Food and Drug Administration approved through its compassionate use provision on New Year’s Eve.

Bennett’s condition began deteriorating several days ago, according to the medical school, and he was given palliative care when it became clear he would not recover.

Crucial Quote

“We are grateful to Mr. Bennett for his unique and historic role in helping to contribute to a vast array of knowledge to the field of xenotransplantation,” said Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, a surgery professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, referring to the transplant of nonhuman organs into human recipients.

Key Background

It was unknown how the terminally ill Bennett would fare after the surgery, but doctors noted it was significant he passed the 48-hour mark with no major issues, which is considered a critical milestone in determining whether a transplant was a success. Medical experts have long hoped organs grown in genetically altered pigs will be used to supplement the substantial shortage of human organs. Pigs have been considered the animal of choice for transplants since they are able to reach adult size in six months and heart valves grown in pigs have already been successfully used in human transplants. A pig organ was also responsible for another breakthrough in October, when surgeons at NYU Langone Health in New York City attached a pig kidney to a brain-dead human on life support and found the organ functioning for 54 hours prior to the end of the study.

Big Number

17. That’s how many Americans die on a typical day while awaiting an organ transplant, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Topline

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

Key Background

Big Number

Further Reading