A 57-year-old male patient with severe heart disease in Maryland, USA, underwent a genetically modified pig heart transplant last week. He was in good condition three days following the operation, becoming the world’s first case. The chief surgeon described the operation as a major breakthrough in the medical field, and hoped that the transplant of animal organs in the future would improve the problem of organ shortage.
(Image Source:BBC News)
The 57-year-old patient, David Bennett, has been bedridden for the past few months but cannot receive a human organ transplant due to health problems. Until the situation suddenly deteriorated last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency surgery permission and performed a pig heart transplant on Friday (7th).
The surgical medical team at the University of Maryland stated that the operation took 7 hours, and the pig heart used was gene-edited, and the sugars in the cells that cause rapid organ rejection have been removed, so the patient did not experience transplant rejection. 3 days in good condition and will continue to closely monitor the patient’s condition.
Before the surgery, Bennett said that he understood that the operation was his last chance, “one is death, one is transplant, I want to live,” so he let go.
About 41,354 Americans received organs for transplants last year, including 3,817 who received donated hearts, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which coordinates U.S. organ procurement efforts. Although the number is higher than before, more than a dozen people die every day because they cannot wait for organ transplants. Therefore, the medical community hopes that this operation can bring hope to patients waiting for organ transplants.
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