The first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig has died two months after the groundbreaking experiment, the University of Maryland Medical Center announced. He was 57.
The Maryland hospital had performed the surgery of one David Bennett. He died on Tuesday at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
While doctors there did not reveal an exact cause of death, but said that his condition had begun deteriorating several days earlier.
The University of Maryland Medical Center in its release stated, “David Bennett, the 57-year old patient with terminal heart disease who made history as the first person to receive a genetically modified pig’s heart, passed away yesterday afternoon on March 8. Mr. Bennett received the transplant on January 7 and lived for two months following the surgery. 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.”
Following surgery, the transplanted heart performed very well for several weeks without any signs of rejection, the release further noted, “the patient was able to spend time with his family and participate in physical therapy to help regain strength.”
Doctors for decades have sought to one day use animal organs for life-saving transplants. Bennett, a handyman from Hagerstown, Maryland, was a candidate for this newest attempt only because he otherwise faced certain death — ineligible for a human heart transplant, bedridden and on life support, and out of other options.
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