Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Common Pig Virus May Have Affected Experimental Human Transplant
USA Today: Pig Heart Transplant: Pig Virus May Have Had Role In Patient's Death
The death of David Bennett Sr., who received a pig heart in place of his own, may have been hastened by another thing he got from the pig: a common virus. In Bennett's weakened state, the virus called pig cytomegalovirus or CMV might have been one of several factors that contributed to his eventual demise, according to Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, who co-led the University of Maryland Medicine team, that performed the Jan. 7 transplant. Bennett died two months after receiving the pig heart, which itself was a last-ditch effort to save his life. (Weintraub, 5/5)
AP: Virus Found In Pig Heart Used In Human Transplant
Researchers trying to learn what killed the first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig have discovered the organ harbored an animal virus but cannot yet say if it played any role in the man’s death. A Maryland man, 57-year-old David Bennett Sr., died in March, two months after the groundbreaking experimental transplant. University of Maryland doctors said Thursday they found an unwelcome surprise — viral DNA inside the pig heart. They did not find signs that this bug, called porcine cytomegalovirus, was causing an active infection. (Neergaard, 5/5)
More on organ donation —
Modern Healthcare: HBCUs Partner To Recruit Black Organ Donors
The nation's four historically Black medical schools have formed a partnership aiming to diversify the pool of organ donors and to recruit more Black workers in the organ transplantation field. The Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Morehouse School of Medicine have teamed up with the Organ Donation Advocacy Group and the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, they announced Thursday. (Hartnett, 5/5)
In other research —
AP: Study Uncovers Clues To Rise In Uterine Cancer Death Rates
A rare but aggressive kind of uterine cancer appears to be driving an increase in U.S. deaths from the disease, particularly among Black women, researchers reported Thursday. Over eight years, deaths from the aggressive type rose by 2.7% per year, while deaths were stable for the less aggressive kind, their study found. Black women had more than twice the rate of deaths from uterine cancer overall, and of the more aggressive type, when compared to other racial and ethnic groups. (Johnson, 5/5)
Fox News: Taking Ibuprofen With Certain High Blood Pressure Medications May Damage Kidneys, Study Says
Patients who are prescribed a diuretic and a renin-angiotensin system (RSA) inhibitor, such as an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), to control their hypertension (high blood pressure), should avoid taking ibuprofen, according to new research published in the journal Mathematical Biosciences. Diuretics and RSA inhibitors are available by prescription under a variety of pharmaceutical brand names while painkillers such as ibuprofen are mostly available over-the-counter under different name brands such as Advil or Motrin. (McGorry, 5/5)
