Second pig heart transplant recipient dies

Lawrence Faucette died on Monday. The 58-year-old U.S. Navy veteran had been diagnosed with terminal heart disease and was ineligible for a standard heart transplant when he received the pig heart in September. Researchers genetically modified the pig heart so its organs would be compatible with a human. The University of Maryland School of Medicine said the heart appeared healthy for at least four weeks until Faucette’s body began showing signs of organ rejection. He lived with the pig heart for six weeks before his death.

What happened to the first recipient? The first transplant of a genetically modified pig heart into a human occurred last year. The 57-year-old recipient died after two months. Like Faucette, he was ineligible for a regular heart transplant. He developed multiple complications from the pig heart, and researchers found strains of a pig virus in the transplanted organ.

Dig deeper:  Read Heather Frank’s report in Beginnings on the rights of organ donors.