Just over a month after a Maryland man became the second person ever to receive a heart transplant from a pig, the patient has shown no signs of organ rejection.
Lawrence Faucette, 58, was dying from heart failure and deemed ineligible for a traditional transplant because of his comorbidities. Physicians from the University of Maryland School of Medicine offered Faucette the highly experimental surgery, and a new hospital video shows that he’s working hard to recover.
“That’s going to be tough, but I’ll work it out,” Faucette said while performing a pedaling exercise to help regain his strength.
Last year, David Bennett became the world’s first recipient of a heart from a genetically altered pig. Bennett survived just 2 months before that heart failed for undetermined reasons, although signs of a pig virus were later found inside the heart. The outcome of that transplant led to changes enacted to improve future transplants, including virus testing.
A hospital spokesperson added that Faucette has been able to stand while undergoing physical therapy to build the strength needed to attempt walking.
Many scientists are hopeful that xenotransplants may compensate for the alarming shortage of human organ donations. More than 100,000 people are currently on the nation’s transplant list, and many will die waiting for an organ.
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