CNN reported that the second individual to receive a heart transplant from a pig died 40 days after the extremely experimental surgery. On September 20, Lawrence Faucette, 58, was dying of heart failure when he received the genetically engineered pig heart. The heart was healthy for the first month, according to the University of Maryland School of Medicine, but began displaying signs of rejection in recent days. He survived the procedure for over six weeks before passing away on Monday.
Faucette had made significant progress after his surgery
“Faucette had made significant progress after his surgery, engaging in physical therapy, spending time with family members, and playing cards with his wife, Ann. In recent days, his heart began to show initial signs of rejection—the most significant challenge with traditional transplants involving human organs as well. Despite the medical team’s greatest efforts, Mr. Faucette ultimately succumbed on October 30,” a statement released by the hospital said.
Mr. Faucette was a Navy veteran and former National Institutes of Health lab technician. When he arrived at the Maryland hospital, he had been turned down for a standard heart transplant due to other health issues. Without the experimental transplant, the father of two faced probable death from heart failure. Ann Faucette, Mr Faucette’s wife, said her husband “knew his time with us was limited, and this was his last chance to help others.” He never expected to live as long as he did.”
Last year, the Maryland team completed the world’s first Pig heart transplant
”Mr. Faucette’s last wish was for us to make the most of what we have learned from our experience, so others may be guaranteed a chance for a new heart when a human organ is unavailable. He then told the team of doctors and nurses who gathered around him that he loved us. We will miss him tremendously,” Dr. Bartley Griffith, clinical director of the Cardiac Xenotransplantation Program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said.
The transplantation of animal organs into humans, known as xenotransplantation, may provide a solution to the persistent scarcity of human organ donors. These surgeries, however, are difficult because the patient’s immune system assaults the alien organ. Scientists anticipated that genetically engineering pig components to mimic human organs would be successful. Last year, the Maryland team also completed the world’s first heart transplant from a genetically engineered pig into another man. He died two months after receiving the transplant. David Bennett, 57, received his transplant on January 7, 2022, and died on March 8, according to the University of Maryland Medical System.