The second person in the world to receive a genetically modified pig heart transplant has died, the University of Maryland School of Medicine announced Tuesday, Oct. 31. Lawrence Faucette’s death comes six weeks after his transplant.
The 58-year-old American suffered from heart failure and was not suitable for a human heart transplant. On September 20 he became the second person to receive a genetically modified pig heart.
According to the University of Maryland School of Medicine, which performed the transplant and its follow-up, the heart appeared healthy for the first month but began to show signs of rejection in recent days.
“Your last chance”
Lawrence Faucette’s wife said her husband “knew his time with us was short and it was his last chance to do something for others.”
“He never imagined he would survive this long,” he added in a statement released by the hospital.
In the weeks following the transplant, doctors reported that the patient was making significant progress, including attending physical therapy sessions and spending time with his family.
“Lawrence Faucette’s dying wish was that we make the most of what we have learned from our experience, so that others can be guaranteed the opportunity to have a new heart when a human organ is not available,” Dr. Bartley Griffith said in a statement. release.
Lack of human organs.
Last year, the Maryland team performed the first pig heart transplant. The patient, David Bennett, survived two months. Although the causes of death are not certain, Bartley Griffith explained that the transplanted pig heart was infected with cytomegalovirus, a swine virus.
Many scientists hope that xenografts (where the donor and recipient are not of the same species) can one day alleviate the huge shortage of human organ donations. According to CNN, more than 113,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant in the United States, and more than 3,300 need a heart. The Donate Life America association estimates that 17 people die every day while waiting for a donor.
Source: BFM TV
