October 31st 2023.
On Tuesday, Maryland doctors announced the passing of Lawrence Faucette, the second person in the world to receive a pig heart transplant. At 58 years old, Mr. Faucette had agreed to the experimental surgery and received the genetically modified organ on September 20th.
His wife, Ann, reported that although Mr. Faucette had been healthy for the first month, his body had recently shown signs of rejection and he sadly passed away on Monday. She stated that he had never expected to survive for as long as he did, and that his last wish was for the medical team to make the most of what they had learnt from the experience.
The first transplant of a genetically altered pig heart was performed at the University of Maryland Medical Center last year, on David Bennett. Unfortunately, Bennett only lived for two months before he suffered heart failure. Scientists are still trying to determine the cause of his passing, though signs of a pig virus were found in the organ.
The news of Mr. Faucette's death was a blow to animal organ transplant work, which had been seen as a possible solution to the global shortage of human organ donations. Although the procedure did not have the result that was hoped for, the medical team have vowed to continue their research in order to make the most of the experience.
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