Two months after surgery: The first person to undergo a pig heart transplant died
The historic procedure did not last long. Doctors from Maryland Hospital did not explain the exact cause of death, but said the patient’s condition had recently begun to deteriorate and he could not be rescued.
Mary Bennett, who made history as the first person to undergo a pig heart transplant, died two months after the trial, officials at the hospital said.
David Bennett (Photo: AP)
Bennett, a 57-year-old home remodeler, received the genetically modified pig heart as part of a life-saving surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center on Jan. 7.
“His condition began to deteriorate several days ago,” hospital officials said in a statement. “After it became clear that he would not recover, he received compassionate treatment. He was able to communicate with his family in his final hours.”
The university did not say the exact cause of death, but transplant recipients may face complications such as infection and rejection of organs.
Dr. Bartley Griffith, who performed the historic surgery, said he was “devastated” by Bennett’s death. We send our sincere condolences to his family. “
(Photo: AP)
Bennett, who suffered from terminal heart disease, was bedridden and had no choice but to recover. He asked to be included in a conventional heart transplant list, but was found unfit to do so. Hence, in late December last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency permit for the experimental surgery, hoping to save the 57-year-old’s life.
The transplanted heart “functioned very well” for several weeks with no signs of rejection, allowing Bennett to spend time with his family and participate in physical therapy to rebuild his degenerative muscles.
Bennett’s Bennett thanked the medical staff for the “opportunity to extend life” given to his father. “Until the end, my father wanted to keep fighting to save his life and spend more time with his family, including his two sisters, two children and five grandchildren, and his precious dog Lucky,” David Jr. said in a statement.
These “precious weeks” would not have been possible without the efforts of the medical staff, he added. “We hope this story can be the beginning of hope, not the end. We hope that what we learn from his surgery will benefit future patients, and in the hope that one day there will not be a shortage of organs that comes up in so many lives each year.”
In January, Bennett told the AP news agency that his father knew the surgery would not work for sure, but he had no other options for surviving. “It was either to die or do this transplant,” he said. “I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice. I’m impatiently waiting to get out of bed after I recover.”
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