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A 58-year-old man has passed away almost six weeks after becoming the second person to undergo a pig heart transplant. As The Shade Room previously reported, Lawrence Faucette underwent the procedure in September, which medical officials believed was a success.
In January 2022, David Bennett Sr. underwent the same procedure and passed away two months later.
According to CNN, Faucette underwent the transplant of the genetically modified pig heart at The University of Maryland Medical Center in September. The heart was reportedly modified to make the organ better suited to fit the human immune system, per The Shade Room.
At the time, it was reported that the transplant saved Faucette from heart failure. Additionally, the procedure left surgeons marveling at its success, although they “didn’t want to predict anything.”
CNN reports that the pig’s heart “began to show signs of rejection in recent days.” On October 31, the medical center published a memoriam, sharing that Faucette passed away on October 30.
Additionally, the medical center noted that rejection is “the most significant challenge with traditional transplants involving human organs as well.”
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Lawrence Faucette, the 58-year-old patient with terminal heart disease who received the world’s second genetically-modified pig heart transplant. Mr. Faucette received the transplant on September 20 and lived for nearly six weeks following the surgery,” the memo reads. “Mr. Faucette had made significant progress after his surgery, engaging in physical therapy, spending time with family members, and playing cards with his wife, Ann. In recent days, his heart began to show initial signs of rejection – the most significant challenge with traditional transplants involving human organs as well. Despite the medical team’s greatest efforts, Mr. Faucette ultimately succumbed on October 30.”
Dr. Bartley Griffith, the clinical director and medical official who performed the surgery on Faucette, also shared a statement regarding the patient’s last wishes.
“Mr. Faucette’s last wish was for us to make the most of what we have learned from our experience, so others may be guaranteed a chance for a new heart when a human organ is unavailable,” Griffith explained. “He then told the team of doctors and nurses who gathered around him that he loved us. We will miss him tremendously.”
Faucette’s wife, Ann, also shared a statement via the medical center’s memoriam. The widow explained that her husband “knew his time… was short” but viewed his transplant as his “last chance to do for others.”
According to CNN, Faucette’s “heart disease and pre-existing conditions” made him ineligible for a “traditional human heart transplant.”
“He never imagined he would survive as long as he did, or provide as much data to the xenotransplant program. He was a man who was always thinking of others, especially myself and his two sons,” the woman explained.
Ann Faucette ultimately ended her statement by thanking the staff and medical center for their incredible efforts in caring for her husband and family.
As The Shade Room previously reported, 57-year-old David Bennett Sr. was the first patient to undergo the procedure in January 2022. Despite there being no signs of Bennett Sr.’s body rejecting the organ in the weeks after the transplant, the 57-year-old passed away almost two months after the procedure.
According to CNN, an autopsy revealed that a prior health condition combined with an undetected virus in the pig heart ultimately attributed to Bennett’s passing from heart failure.
