David Bennett, the 57-year-old man who received a pig’s heart to replace his own failing organ has died two months after the historic transplant.
The University of Maryland Medical Center where Bennett received the transplant in early January and had been recuperating announced the news of his death on Tuesday.
Although Bennett’s health had been on the decline in recent days, it’s unclear what caused his death.
He was the first patient ever to receive an animal organ genetically modified to prevent rejection in a person.
“We are devastated by the loss of Mr. Bennett. 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,” said Dr Bartley Griffith, the surgeon who led Bennett’s transplant.
“Mr Bennett became known by millions of people around the world for his courage and steadfast will to live,” Griffith said in a statement.
Previous attempts at such transplants, or xenotransplantation, have largely failed because the patients’ bodies will quickly reject an animal organ.
What made Bennett’s transplant unique was the use of a heart from a genetically-modified pig.
Scientists had modified the pig to remove the genes that trigger the usual quick-rejection and added human genes that would help the body accept the organ.
Bennett’s son, who previously told the Associated Press his father knew the experimental surgery was no guarantee, praised the hospital for its efforts, Metro reports.
“We are grateful for every innovative moment, every crazy dream, every sleepless night that went into this historic effort,’ David Bennett Jr said in a statement released by the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
“We hope this story can be beginning of hope and not the end.”
