For The Second Time Ever, Groundbreaking Transplant Of Pig Heart Into Living Recipient Is Performed

For The Second Time Ever, Groundbreaking Transplant Of Pig Heart Into Living Recipient Is Performed

In this photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Lawrence Faucette sits with wife, Ann, in the school’s hospital in Baltimore, Md., in September 2023, before receiving a pig heart transplant.

The University of Maryland Medical Center revealed on Friday that, for the second time in history, a pig heart has been successfully transplanted into a living human recipient.

This groundbreaking surgery took place on September 20th at UMMC, performed by the same transplant team that carried out the initial experimental surgery in 2022. The recipient, 58-year-old Lawrence Faucette, is currently breathing independently, and his heart is functioning well without the need for supportive devices.

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Faucette suffered from end-stage heart disease and had pre-existing complications that made him ineligible for a traditional heart transplant. Admitted to UMMC on September 14 after experiencing heart failure symptoms, Faucette expressed his hope for a xenotransplant, or pig heart, days before the surgery.

This experimental xenotransplant surgery was conducted under the US Food and Drug Administration’s “compassionate use” program, which grants access to investigational medical products for patients facing serious or life-threatening conditions with no available alternative therapies.

The pig heart used in the procedure came from a genetically modified pig developed by Revivcor, a subsidiary of the United Therapeutics Corporation. The pig underwent genetic modifications to eliminate specific blood cell components, reducing the risk of an adverse immune reaction in humans.

Faucette is also receiving an experimental antibody treatment to further suppress his immune system and prevent rejection. He will be closely monitored for any signs of rejection or the development of pig-related viruses.

Dr. Bartley Griffith, the surgeon who performed the transplant, and a professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, expressed gratitude to Mr. Faucette for his bravery in advancing medical knowledge in this field.

Faucette, a married father of two and a 20-year Navy veteran from Frederick, Maryland, worked as a lab technician at the National Institutes of Health before retiring. His wife, Ann Faucette, expressed hope for more time together, even if it means simple moments like enjoying coffee on the front porch.

While there are currently no clinical trials utilizing pig organs for transplants in living humans, the University of Maryland conducted the first experimental surgery of this kind in January 2022. The initial recipient, David Bennett, passed away two months after the surgery due to a complex array of factors, including his condition prior to the procedure.

With over 113,000 people on the organ transplant list in the US, including 3,354 in need of a heart, there remains a critical need for organ donors. Donate Life America reports that 17 people die each day while waiting for a donor organ.

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