Surgeon Bartley Griffith with patient David Bennett in January 2022. The first patient in the world to receive a genetically modified pig heart transplant by American surgeons has died.
57-year-old David Bennett lived for two months after an experimental surgery that is the result of years of research by scientists and could become a solution to the critical shortage of donor organs worldwide.
The surgery took place on January 7, and the new heart was initially functioning, but Bennett’s condition began to deteriorate a few days ago. He died on March 8, as confirmed by doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Bennett had a life-threatening cardiovascular condition, and participating in a medical experiment was his only chance of survival. He had been on life support for six weeks prior to the surgery and was not a candidate for a heart transplant.
Before the operation, Benny himself confirmed that he was aware of the risks of the experimental pig heart transplant. Specialists from the University of Maryland received special permission from the authorities to perform the operation, explaining that the patient would die without it.
“He proved to be a brave and noble patient, fighting to the end,” said surgeon Bartley Griffith, who performed the operation, in a statement from the hospital.
The son of a patient, David Bennett Jr., expressed gratitude “for every innovative moment, every crazy dream, every sleepless night that became part of this historic endeavor. But, as he noted, he hoped that the transplant would be “a beginning of hope, not its end,” – reports Agence France-Presse.
According to Mr. Bennett’s family, he was able to spend a few weeks with his family after the surgery, watching the Super Bowl and expressing hope that he would soon be able to go home to his dog, Lucky.
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Scientists have long discussed the possibility of transplanting animal organs into humans, known as xenotransplantation. In heart surgery, the transplantation of certain parts of a pig’s heart, particularly heart valves, is widely used.
In October 2021, surgeons in New York reported that they had successfully transplanted a pig kidney into a human: at the time, it was the most complex operation of its kind in history. However, the patient who received the kidney was brain dead and there was no hope of recovery.
According to Dr. Muhammad Mohuddini, a specialist from the University of Maryland, the importance of the Bennett operation cannot be overstated: “Scientists have been able to see that a genetically modified pig heart can function in the human body with sufficient suppression of the immune system.” The surgeons hoped that the success of this operation would help save the lives of many people around the world.
According to the OrganDonor.gov website, there are approximately 100,000 people waiting for organ transplants in the United States alone, and 17 patients die every day due to organ shortages.