The World's First Pig Heart Transplant Patient Dies After Two Months

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The American patient who received the world's first pig heart transplant has died after two months.

According to the Associated Press on the 9th (local time), David Bennett (57), who underwent a heart transplant surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in January this year, passed away the day before.

The exact cause of death has not been disclosed. However, it was reported that Bennett's condition began to deteriorate several days ago.

Bennett, who was terminally ill, had been hospitalized before the surgery due to arrhythmia and had been kept alive for over six months with ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation). He was deemed ineligible for a heart transplant at multiple hospitals and was also unable to use an artificial heart pump.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the surgery to transplant a genetically modified pig heart into a human, eliminating immune rejection, as there were no other treatment options available.

The successful surgery of transplanting a pig heart into a human for the first time in the world raised expectations as an alternative solution to the shortage of transplant organs.

Bennett, who received the genetically modified pig heart, survived longer than a girl who survived 21 days after receiving a baboon heart transplant in 1983.

Dr. Bartley Griffith, who performed the surgery, expressed condolences, saying, "We are deeply shocked by Bennett's death" and "He proved to be a brave and noble patient who fought until the end."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.