Patient With First-Ever Gene-Modified Pig Heart Dies
The 57-year-old man died two months after becoming the first person to receive a genetically-modified pig heart, designed to prevent organ rejection. The cause of his death is still unclear, though reportedly his condition had been deteriorating in recent days.
USA Today:
Patient Dies Two Months After Historic Pig Heart Transplant
David Bennett, 57, who received a pig heart in January in place of his own failing one, died Tuesday. It's not yet clear precisely what caused Bennett's death, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, where he received the transplant Jan. 7 and had been recovering since. He began deteriorating in recent days and the hospital announced his death Wednesday. Bennett was the first patient ever to receive an animal organ genetically modified to prevent rejection in a person. (Weintraub, 3/9)
The New York Times:
Patient Who Received Groundbreaking Pig Heart Transplant Dies
It was unclear whether his body had rejected the foreign organ. “There was no obvious cause identified at the time of his death,” a hospital spokeswoman said. Hospital officials said they could not comment further on the cause of death, because his physicians had yet to conduct a thorough examination. They plan to publish the results in a peer-reviewed medical journal. (Rabin, 3/9)
AP:
US Man Who Got 1st Pig Heart Transplant Dies After 2 Months
David Bennett’s son praised the hospital for offering the last-ditch experiment, saying the family hoped it would help further efforts to end the organ shortage. “We are grateful for every innovative moment, every crazy dream, every sleepless night that went into this historic effort,” David Bennett Jr. said in a statement released by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “We hope this story can be the beginning of hope and not the end.” (Neergaard and Johnson, 3/9)
