David Bennett Sr., a 57-year-old patient, spent his last moments with the family and left a legacy that has touched millions around the world.
Two months ago, David Bennett Sr. became the first patient to receive a genetically modified pig heart transplant in an earlier attempt to treat his terminal heart disease. He died Tuesday afternoon.
The Maryland Medical Center where an autopsy was performed announced his death on Wednesday.
“We are saddened by the loss of Mr. Bennett. He has proven himself to be a courageous and respectful patient who fought to the end. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family,” Dr. Bartley P. Griffith, the surgeon underwent a surgical resection. The heart of a pig enters Bennett’s University of Maryland Medical Center, a hospital statement said.
“Mr. Bennett is known to millions of people around the world for his courage and determination to live, ”said Griffith.
A 57-year-old paramedic called the landmark operation, carried out on January 7, “shot in the dark,” and the day before the operation said “he may have died, or done this.”
Shortly after surgery, Bennett’s medical team saw it as a great success, noting that he was doing well and that his body was not paralyzed. In a review of Feb. 11, Griffith reported that “her heart rate was good, her blood pressure was very good, and in fact, she was on medication to lower her blood pressure. It’s a good way right now.”
In Feb. 14, Bennett’s medical staff also released an inspiring video of him watching this year’s Super Bowl and singing while Jhené Aiko played America the Beautiful.
However, according to a statement Wednesday, entitled “In Memoriam: David Bennett,” his condition worsened a few days ago. After it became clear he would not recover, Bennett was transferred to patient care until the last minute, which he shared with his family.
Human implant surgery, also called xenotransplantation, may open the way for the future to address the problem of degeneration. More than 100,000 Americans are awaiting organ transplants, according to Organdonor.gov, and more than 17 patients die each day on the waiting list.
“We thank Mr Bennett for his unique and historic contribution in helping to contribute to a wide range of information in the field of xenotransplantation,” Drs. Muhammad M. Mohiuddin, scientific director of the Cardiac Xenotransplantation Program at the University of Maryland’s. The School of Medicine and a member of Bennett’s medical team, a hospital statement said. “We have gained valuable insights into learning that genetically modified pigs’ heart can function properly in the human body while the immune system is adequately suppressed.”
Reducing the immune response, in fact, why the heart of the pig had to be genetically engineered before the implantation could take place. The heart of a normal pig will not be easily absorbed by the human body. Doctors kept Bennett on immunosuppressive medication to make sure his immune system did not view the organ as an external enemy that should attack.
Bennett’s decision to undergo surgery will not be in vain, doctors said.
“Like any of the world’s first reconstructive surgery,” Griffith said, “this has led to an important understanding that will hopefully inform surgeons to improve outcomes and provide life-saving benefits to future patients.”