Man Who Underwent First-Ever Pig Heart Transplant Surgery Has Died

By Bill Galluccio

March 9, 2022

Photo: University of Maryland School of Medicine

A 57-year-old man who became the first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig has died. David Bennett underwent the breakthrough transplant two months ago and was recovering from the surgery.

Doctors were hopeful the transplant was successful because his body did not reject the genetically modified pig heart, which continued to function well over a month after the surgery.

The University of Maryland said that Bennett began to deteriorate in recent days before he was pronounced dead on Wednesday (March 9). Doctors have not determined his cause of death and plan to conduct a complete autopsy and additional tests to determine why he died. Their findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

"We are devastated by the loss of Mr. Bennett. He proved to be a brave and noble patient who fought all the way to the end. We extend our sincerest condolences to his family," Dr. Bartley Griffith, the surgeon who led Bennett's transplant, said in a statement. "Mr. Bennett became known by millions of people around the world for his courage and steadfast will to live."

Despite Bennett's death, doctors believe the successful transplant shows the promise of using genetically modified organs grown in pigs to help reduce the backlog of patients waiting for a transplant.

"We have gained invaluable insights learning that the genetically modified pig heart can function well within the human body while the immune system is adequately suppressed," Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, who was involved in Bennett's care at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said in a statement. "We remain optimistic and plan on continuing our work in future clinical trials."

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