‘His own body attacked it': Second person to get pig heart transplant dies
Doctors performing a pig heart transplant surgery on a human body (Representative image)
The second person who received a genetically engineered pig heart in September this year has died even as the doctors took extra precautions.
A statement from the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, where the transplant was performed, revealed that the 58-year-old man died on October 30, nearly six weeks after the surgery was performed.
Maryland team said the person, Lawrence Faucette, made progress following the surgery, spent time with family, played card games and did physical therapies.
But in the days leading up to his death, his body started treating the pig heart as a foreign element and attacked it. Such rejection by the immune system is usual even in the cases of traditional transplants involving human organs.
Timeline of the Faucette case
Faucette faced end-stage heart failure when he arrived at the University of Maryland Medical Center on September 14.
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Despite his heart stopping and requiring resuscitation, he couldn't undergo a conventional heart transplant due to his critical condition.
Subsequently, the US Food and Drug Administration granted emergency approval for a genetically modified pig heart transplant to extend his life.
Watch:Gravitas: Pig's heart transplanted into a human
Faucette, well-informed of the risks, agreed to have the surgery conducted.
During the initial month of his recovery, the pig heart performed well with no signs of rejection. Faucette also made progress in regaining his ability to walk.
However, he could only survive for just six weeks.
About the first case of pig heart transplant
The first recipient of a genetically engineered pig heart, David Bennett, survived for two months following the groundbreaking procedure in January 2022; however, he eventually succumbed to sudden heart failure.
The Maryland medical team speculated that Bennett's pre-existing health issues and the presence of a pig virus in his transplanted heart might have contributed to his death. Although he lived longer than the second person to get a pig heart.
Significance of ‘xenotransplantation’
Researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center and other institutions have been exploring xenotransplantation, the transplantation of animal organs into humans, as a solution to the organ shortage crisis.
In the United States, more than 103,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list, with 17 individuals passing away daily while awaiting an organ.
(With inputs from agencies)