WASHINGTON. A month has passed since a man from Maryland became the second person to undergo a groundbreaking pig heart transplant, and a recent hospital video reveals his remarkable progress in the journey to recovery.
Lawrence Faucette was battling heart failure and was not eligible for a conventional heart transplant when physicians at the University of Maryland School of Medicine proposed this highly experimental procedure.
In the first glimpse provided since the heart transplant on September 20, a hospital video features physical therapist Chris Wells motivating Faucette to persevere through a pedaling exercise aimed at rebuilding his strength.
Last year, the Maryland medical team executed the world’s first heart transplant from a genetically altered pig into another critically ill patient, David Bennett. However, Bennett survived only two months before experiencing heart failure, the precise cause of which remained unclear at the time, though later investigation found indications of a pig virus within the organ. Lessons from the initial endeavor prompted several modifications before this second attempt, with a focus on enhancing virus testing procedures.
Efforts to achieve animal-to-human organ transplants, known as xenotransplants, have faced repeated failure over the years due to immediate rejection by the recipient’s immune system. Presently, scientists are revisiting this concept by utilizing pigs genetically engineered to make their organs more closely resemble those of humans.
In the hospital video released on Friday, Faucette’s medical team announced that there have been no indications of the pig heart being rejected.
“His heart is functioning autonomously,” said Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, who heads the cardiac xenotransplantation team at the University of Maryland.
A hospital spokesperson disclosed that Faucette has successfully stood up, and physical therapists are diligently assisting him in regaining the strength necessary to attempt walking.
Numerous scientists hold the hope that xenotransplants may one day alleviate the pressing shortage of human organ donations. Over 100,000 individuals in the United States are currently on the waiting list for transplants, the majority of whom are awaiting kidney transplants, and thousands sadly lose their lives while waiting.
Several scientific groups have conducted tests involving pig kidneys and hearts in monkeys as well as in donated human bodies. These experiments aim to accumulate sufficient data for the Food and Drug Administration to permit formal xenotransplant studies.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
