The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Maryland (USA) reported on Monday that it managed to transplant a genetically modified pork heart to a 57-year-old man in a surgery that rated "historical".
"This organ transplant demonstrated for the first time that a genetically modified animal heart can function as a human heart without an immediate rejection by the body," said the institution in a statement.
The patient, David Bennet, 57, and resident in Maryland, was operated three days ago at the Medical Center of Said University after suffering a arrhythmia and is under medical surveillance in good health.
According to the institution, the transplantation of a pork "was the only option available for the patient", since several hospitals had ruled out the possibility of making a conventional transplant.
"It was to die or do this transplant, I want to live, I know it's a shot in the dark, but it's my last option," said the patient, according to the communiqué of the University of Maryland.
The US Food and Drug Administration authorized Bennet's operation on New Year's eve, who was prostrated in bed for months and that was informed of the risks of the operation, as it is still experimental technique.
"It has been a revolutionary surgery and approaches us one more step to the solution of the crisis of scarcity of organs. There are not enough human hearts of donors available to fulfill the long list of potential receivers," said Bartley Griffith, doctor in charge of this surgical intervention.
Around 110,000 Americans currently expect an organ transplant, and more than 6,000 patients die each year before receiving one, according to official data cited by the University.
A hospital in New York got past October temporarily transplant the kidney from a genetically modified pork to a human body, another success that, like the one known as Monday, can lead in the future that the donation of organs of A deceased to save someone's life.
Date Of Update: 10 January 2022, 19:12
