Man dies after receiving pig heart transplant in world-first surgery

A man, who had been deemed “ineligible” for a human heart transplant, has died after opting for an experimental procedure in a last bid to save his life.

Surgeon Dr Bartley Griffith with patient David Bennett. Picture: University of Maryland School of Medicine/AFP

The first person to receive a pig heart transplant has died two months after the last-bid surgery to try to save his life.

US man David Bennett Sr had been pronounced “ineligible” to receive a human heart transplant after being diagnosed with terminal heart disease.

On January 7, the 57-year-old underwent surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Centre to have the pig heart transplant, which had been genetically modified in a world-first medical procedure.

A statement from the hospital said that the operation had initially been successful and Mr Bennett was “very well for several weeks without any signs of rejection”.

“The patient was able to spend time with his family and participate in physical therapy to help regain strength,” they said.

Surgeons performing the transplant procedure in January. Picture: University of Maryland School of Medicine/AFP

“He watched the Super Bowl with his physical therapist and spoke often about wanting to get home to his dog Lucky.”

But Mr Bennett “began deteriorating several days ago” and it soon became clear he would not survive.

He was able to communicate with his family in the final moments of his life and received “compassionate palliative care”.

Mr Bennett’s son, David Jr, said he hoped his father’s world-first procedure would be “the beginning of hope and not the end”.

“We are grateful for every innovative moment, every crazy dream, every sleepless night that went into this historic effort,” he said, reported the BBC.

Mr Bennett’s surgeon Bartley P. Griffith said he was “devastated by the loss”, commending his patient’s bravery in consenting to the experimental transplant.

“He proved to be a brave and noble patient who fought all the way to the end. We extend our sincerest condolences to his family,” Dr Griffith said.

“Mr Bennett became known by millions of people around the world for his courage and steadfast will to live.”

Surgeon Bartley Griffith with patient David Bennett (right) who has sadly died. Picture: University of Maryland School of Medicine/AFP

First admitted to hospital in October 2021, Mr Bennett was left bedridden and on a heart-lung bypass machine to stay alive.

His low chances of survival meant he wasn’t able to receive a human heart transplant.

Mr Bennett then opted to undergo the world-first surgery, with the hospital saying he was “fully informed of the procedure’s risks, and that the procedure was experimental with unknown risks and benefits”.

The US Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorisation for the transplant on December 31 last year and the surgery was performed a week later.

University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Muhammad M. Mohiuddin, who is the Professor of Surgery and Scientific Director of the Cardiac Xenotransplantation Program, said Mr Bennett’s willingness to undergo the surgery had helped them gain “invaluable insights learning that the genetically modified pig heart can function well within the human body while the immune system is adequately suppressed”.

“We are grateful to Mr Bennett for his unique and historic role in helping to contribute to a vast array of knowledge to the field of xenotransplantation,” Dr Mohiuddin said.

In the US there are around 100,000 people on the organ donor waiting list, with on average 17 people dying every day while waiting for an organ transplant.