Patient who underwent world's second heart transplant with genetically modified pig heart dies

The patient who underwent the world's second heart transplant with a genetically modified pig's heart has died six weeks after the operation, the University of Maryland School of Medicine said, RBC reported.

“We mourn the loss of Mr. Faucette, a remarkable patient, scientist, Navy veteran, and family man who just wanted a little more time to spend with his loving wife, sons, and family,” said Bartley P. Griffith, MD, who ha performed this heart transplant surgery.

Lawrence Faucette, 58, “had made significant progress after his surgery, engaging in physical therapy, spending time with family members, and playing cards with his wife, Ann,” the aforesaid medical center said.

"In recent days, his heart began to show initial signs of rejection—the most significant challenge with traditional transplants involving human organs as well. Despite the medical team’s greatest efforts, Mr. Faucette ultimately succumbed on October 30," it added.

Faucette first came to the University of Maryland Medical Center as a patient on September 14. When he came into the hospital, he was in end-stage heart failure. Shortly before the surgery, his heart stopped and required resuscitation.

He was deemed ineligible for a traditional heart transplant due to his advanced medical conditions including peripheral vascular disease. On September 15, the US Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency authorization for the surgery in the hope of extending his life.

Following surgery, the transplanted heart performed very well without any evidence of rejection during the first month of recovery. Faucette was engaged in physical therapy and was working toward regaining his ability to walk.

The first person in the world who was transplanted with a pig's heart had died in March 2022. It happened two months after the operation. David Bennett, 57, had agreed to this experimental intervention because he would not have lived without surgery, and he could not claim a human heart donation due to the seriousness of his disease. He had already tried all other means of treatment, The New York Times noted. There were two options: to die, or to try the transplant, this patient had said.

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