Two months later, the first patient with a transplanted pig heart dies

The first patient to receive a pig heart transplant died two months after that surgery, reported the Medical Center of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (USA), in charge of that historic operation.

David Bennett57 years old and with terminal heart disease, underwent surgery on January 7 at the aforementioned medical center and became the first person to receive a genetically modified pig heart.

According to the hospital, Bennett died Tuesday after his condition deteriorated several days ago.

After doctors confirmed that he would not survive, he was placed on hospice care, according to the statement from the Maryland College of Medicine.

The death occurred two months after a historic operation that was carried out successfully and that, as the same institution explained in January, was “the only option available to the patient”, since several hospitals had ruled out the possibility of doing a conventional transplant.

“It was die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last option”, said Bennett then.

Members of the medical team said they were “devastated” for the loss of the patient, as the author of the transplant, Dr. Bartley P. Griffith, pointed out in the statement, who highlighted Bennet’s courage and desire to live.

Muhammad M. Mohiuddin, director of the cardiothoracic program of this center, stressed his gratitude to the patient for his “historical paper” in the advances of gene transplantation.