Surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Centre in the United States have successfully conducted a second transplant of a genetically modified pig heart on a 58-year-old patient named Lawrence Faucette, who was suffering from end-stage heart disease.
Faucette underwent the pig heart transplant procedure on September 20. The first historic surgery of this kind took place in January 2022 when David Bennett received a pig heart transplant from the surgical team at the University of Maryland Medicine.
Both groundbreaking surgeries were performed by the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Medicine at the university.
Due to Faucette’s pre-existing peripheral vascular disease and complications related to internal bleeding, this transplant was his only viable option. However, according to a statement on the UMSOM website, Faucette is now breathing independently, and his heart is functioning well without the need for supportive devices.
Dr. Bartley Griffith, the surgeon who performed the pig heart transplants on both patients at UMMC, expressed gratitude to Mr. Faucette for his courage and willingness to contribute to the advancement of medical knowledge in this field. Dr. Griffith expressed hope that Faucette would soon return home to spend more time with his wife and family.
In response, Faucette himself stated, “My only real hope left is to go with the pig heart, the xenotransplant. Dr. Griffith, Dr. Mohiuddin, and their entire staff have been incredible, but nobody knows from this point forward. At least now I have hope, and I have a chance.”
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