Washington: David Bennett, first person in the world to get a heart transplant from a genetically-modified pig has died. David, with a terminal heart diesease survived for two months following the surgery in the US. However, his condition deteriorated a week ago, said his doctor in Baltimore.
Bennett, was all aware about the risks and acknowledged them before the procedure was performed. Experts at the University of Maryland Medical Center were granted a special dispensation by the US medical regulator to carry out the procedure, on the basis that Mr Bennett who was ineligible for a human transplant would otherwise have died.
The procedure raised hopes that advances in cross-species organ donation could one day solve the chronic shortage of human organs available for donation, and the team behind the operation say they still remain optimistic about its future success.
The surgery was done on January 7th, following weeks he performed well without any signs of rejection. Days later as his condition deteriorated, doctors were devastated and put him on compassionate palliative care. 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,” said Bartley Griffith, the surgeon who led the procedure.
It was in October 2021, Bennett had come to the hospital bedridden for weeks and placed on emergency life support machine. He had been deemed ineligible for human transplant – a decision that is often taken when the recipient has very poor underlying health.