So a perfect miracle did not happen. David Bennett, the man who made his name in history two months ago when he became the world’s first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig, has died.
A representative from the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), where the historic surgery was performed, confirmed the news was accurate.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Bennett. He proved himself to be a brave and noble patient who fought until his last breath“, said surgeon Bartley P. Griffith.We extend our sincerest condolences to his family.”
The hospital has yet to release information on Bennett’s cause of death. Doctors are still working to find out if it is due to transplant rejection.
As reported by the New York Times, the investigation will continue until the cause of death is known. The doctors then publish all of their knowledge in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
David Bennett, 57, is the first man in the world to receive a heart transplant from a deceased pig.
“We are grateful to Mr. Bennett for his unique historical role in contributing a great deal of knowledge to the field of heterologous transplantation.“, said Dr. Muhammad M. Mohiuddin, a professor of anatomy and Scientific Director of the Allogeneic Heart Transplant Program.
Pig heart transplant to humans is a procedure that belongs to a group of allogeneic transplants, also known as xenotransplantation. For hundreds of years, scientists have performed blood transfusions and skin grafts from animals to humans.
In the 1960s, chimpanzees were transplanted into humans, but the longest patient survived was only 9 months. In 1983, a baboon heart was transplanted into an infant nicknamed Baby Fae, but she died 21 days later.
By the late 1980s, some doctors thought they should try transplanting pig organs into humans because they have a more suitable organ size for us. For example, a monkey’s heart is too small to be transplanted to children, while a 6-month-old pig’s heart can be as big as an adult heart.
Pig heart valves are then regularly collected and successfully transplanted into humans. Some diabetics have even received pancreatic cell transplants from pigs. Pig skin was also collected for use in burn patients.
Most notably, last November, a genetically modified pig kidney from Revivicor was also successfully transplanted into a human, albeit in a brain-dead patient.
The pig-to-human transplant for David Bennett is also a breakthrough for the first time in history. Doctors said it was a reluctant choice for both them and Bennett.
A 57-year-old American patient was brought to the emergency room with severe heart failure. To keep him alive, doctors had to use an artificial heart-lung machine – a device similar to an ECMO machine for critical COVID-19 patients.
The machine will do the job of drawing Bennett’s blood out, filtering toxins and CO2 and then pumping oxygen back to feed his body. But the cardiopulmonary machine only works in the short term. Without a new heart transplant, Bennett would surely die instantly.
Dr Griffith said Bennett was even too weak to receive a human heart transplant. So in mid-December last year, he went to the patient to make a suggestion:
“We couldn’t transplant him a human heart, because he wasn’t qualified. But perhaps we could use a heart from an animal, specifically a pig. This type of surgery has never been done before, but we thought we could do it.”
It also took Bennett a moment to understand what the offer meant. “Either I’m going to die, or I’m going to do this transplant. I still want to live. I know that surgery is like shooting a gun into the dark, but it’s my last choice“, he told.
Mr. Bennett has recovered quite well after the eight-hour surgery.
After receiving consent from the patient and family, doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center quickly submitted an emergency authorization application for the surgery to the Food and Drug Administration. United States (FDA).
The FDA approval process was done on New Year’s Eve, after which Bennett’s surgery was scheduled for January 8. Doctors said the transplanted heart for him would come from a pig owned by Revivicor, a company that supplies genetically modified pigs.
The pigs have been edited with 10 genes so that their organs do not trigger a rejection immune response in the body. A growth gene was also inactivated to prevent the pig’s heart from growing after the transplant.
The surgery for Bennett was quite complicated and lasted up to 8 hours until the final step when Griffith removed the clamp that limited blood supply to the heart, it began to work, contract and create a rhythm. dam.
Bennett lived with a pig’s heart for two months. He spent that time with his family, practicing physical therapy measures to regain his inherent health. Around mid-February, Mr. Bennett was able to sit on his bed and softly sing along to America the Beautiful while watching the Super Bowl.
Next, he wants to meet the dog he raised for a long time. According to therapist Christine Wells, the fact that Mr Bennett was able to sit up was a great sign of recovery. “He has improved a lot, is able to stand on his own and hold his head high, he can talk. He still remembers everything at home very clearly. We talked about his pet dog, Lucky. The dog is waiting for the owner to return” said Dr Griffith.
Initial evaluation from the hospital showed no signs of rejection and everything was going well. Until a few days ago, something happened and changed that reality.
Mr. Bennett’s condition suddenly deteriorated and when the doctors knew there was nothing more they could do to help him recover, they placed Bennett on a palliative care program.
Mr. Bennett was spending his final hours with family and friends, a representative from the University of Maryland Medical Center said.
Mr. Bennett and family members.
Although this story has a sad ending, the surgeons who performed the transplant are optimistic about the future of therapy.
“As any first transplant surgery performed in the world, this surgery has led to valuable insights, hope and lessons for the doctors, so that they can can improve outcomes and save lives in the future.”said Dr. Griffith.
Given the temporary success of this heterogeneous heart transplant, along with two pioneering kidney transplants from genetically engineered pigs last year, it is likely that the FDA will continue to license more research like this further, to push the field of heterologous organ transplantation forward.
Dr Mohiuddin said:We gained invaluable knowledge when we learned that genetically modified pig hearts can function well in the human body, when the immune system is completely suppressed. We will still plan to continue our work, with future clinical trials.”
Refer Nytimes, Iflscience