First pig heart transplant: Patient dies two months after sensational surgery

Created: 03/09/2022Updated: 03/09/2022 17:28

By: Kai Hartwig

David Bennett was the first patient in the world to have a pig heart implanted.

Now he died.

© Tom Jemski/dpa

It was a medical sensation: in January, doctors in the United States implanted a pig's heart in a patient.

But now there is tragic news about the case.

Baltimore – A 57-year-old man in the USA* was the world's first patient to have a pig heart used as a replacement organ almost two months ago*.

The case was hailed as a medical sensation, but now David Bennett is dead.

According to a statement from the University Hospital in Baltimore on Wednesday (March 9), Bennett died on Tuesday (March 8).

Accordingly, the state of health of the heart patient had steadily deteriorated a few days ago.

"After it became clear that he would not recover, he was treated with palliative care," the university hospital said. "He was able to communicate with his family in the last hours of his life."

Heart transplantation: Pig heart used in humans for the first time - patient dies later

It was only in January that the heart of a genetically modified pig was implanted in the seriously ill Bennett - the operation was considered a milestone in the field of organ transplantation.

And raised hopes for a new source of organs for patients.

Bennett had not been approved for a conventional organ transplant despite suffering from end-stage heart disease.

Therefore, according to the University Hospital, a pig heart transplant was the only treatment option for the 57-year-old.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization for the revolutionary operation, which lasted several hours.

The pig that gave the heart had been genetically modified to eliminate a gene that produces a specific sugar.

Otherwise, this sugar would have triggered a strong immune reaction in the patient, which would have led to the rejection of the organ.

A gene that would have caused pig heart tissue to overgrow was also knocked out.

Not enough human donor organs available - great hope for animal replacements

In the US alone, around 110,000 people are currently waiting for a donor organ.

According to official figures, more than 6,000 people die each year before a transplant can take place.

Because of the shortage of human donor organs, researchers are pinning great hopes on so-called xenotransplantation - the transplanting of organs from one species to another, in this case from animals to humans.

also read

Stock up on emergency stocks – Now shop according to this checklist

Power failure, quarantine, flooding and the like - there are many reasons for an emergency supply.

The federal government recommends the following foods for 10 days.

Stock up on emergency stocks – Now shop according to this checklist

Heart valves from pigs and pigskin for burn victims are already being transplanted.

Pigs are considered ideal donor animals because of their size, rapid growth and good breeding characteristics.