Doctors transplant pig heart into a patient
The first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig has died, two months after the groundbreaking experiment, the Maryland hospital that performed the surgery announced Wednesday.
David Bennett, 57, died Tuesday at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Doctors didn't give an exact cause of death, saying only that his condition had begun deteriorating several days earlier.
Bennett's son praised the hospital for offering the last-ditch experiment, saying the family hoped it would help further efforts to end the organ shortage.
"We are grateful for every innovative moment, every crazy dream, every sleepless night that went into this historic effort," David Bennett Jr. said in a statement released by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We hope this story can be the beginning of hope and not the end."
Doctors for decades have sought to one day use animal organs for life-saving transplants. Bennett, a handyman from Hagerstown, Maryland, was a candidate for this newest attempt only because he otherwise faced certain death â ineligible for a human heart transplant, bedridden and on life support, and out of other options.
After the Jan. 7 operation, Bennett's son told The Associated Press his father knew there was no guarantee it would work.
Prior attempts at such transplants -- or xenotransplantation -- have failed largely because patients' bodies rapidly rejected the animal organ. This time, the Maryland surgeons used a heart from a gene-edited pig: Scientists had modified the animal to remove pig genes that trigger the hyper-fast rejection and add human genes to help the body accept the organ.
At first the pig heart was functioning, and the Maryland hospital issued periodic updates that Bennett seemed to be slowly recovering. Last month, the hospital released video of him watching the Super Bowl from his hospital bed while working with his physical therapist.
Bennett survived significantly longer with the gene-edited pig heart than one of the last milestones in xenotransplantation -- when Baby Fae, a dying California infant, lived 21 days with a baboon's heart in 1984.
"We are devastated by the loss of Mr. Bennett. He proved to be a brave and noble patient who fought all the way to the end," Dr. Bartley Griffith, who performed the surgery at the Baltimore hospital, said in a statement.
The need for another source of organs is huge. More than 41,000 transplants were performed in the U.S. last year, a record -- including about 3,800 heart transplants. But more than 106,000 people remain on the national waiting list, thousands die every year before getting an organ and thousands more never even get added to the list, considered too much of a long shot.
The Food and Drug Administration had allowed the dramatic Maryland experiment under "compassionate use" rules for emergency situations. Bennett's doctors said he had heart failure and an irregular heartbeat, plus a history of not complying with medical instructions. He was deemed ineligible for a human heart transplant that requires strict use of immune-suppressing medicines, or the remaining alternative, an implanted heart pump.
Doctors didn't reveal the exact cause of Bennett's death. Rejection, infection and other complications are risks for transplant recipients.
But from Bennett's experience, "we have gained invaluable insights learning that the genetically modified pig heart can function well within the human body while the immune system is adequately suppressed," said Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, scientific director of the Maryland university's animal-to-human transplant program.
One next question is whether scientists have learned enough from Bennett's experience and some other recent experiments with gene-edited pig organs to persuade the FDA to allow a clinical trial â possibly with an organ such as a kidney that isn't immediately fatal if it fails.
Twice last fall, surgeons at New York University got permission from the families of deceased individuals to temporarily attach a gene-edited pig kidney to blood vessels outside the body and watch them work before ending life support. And surgeons at the University of Alabama at Birmingham went a step further, transplanting a pair of gene-edited pig kidneys into a brain-dead man in a step-by-step rehearsal for an operation they hope to try in living patients possibly later this year.
Pigs have long been used in human medicine, including pig skin grafts and implantation of pig heart valves. But transplanting entire organs is much more complex than using highly processed tissue. The gene-edited pigs used in these experiments were provided by Revivicor, a subsidiary of United Therapeutics, one of several biotech companies in the running to develop suitable pig organs for potential human transplant.
***
Photos: Notable Deaths in 2022
2022: Meat Loaf
Updated
One year ago:Â Meat Loaf, the rock superstar known for his âBat Out of Hellâ album and for such theatrical, dark-hearted anthems as âParadise By the Dashboard Lightâ and âTwo Out of Three Ainât Bad,â died at age 74.
Sidney Poitier
Updated
Sidney Poitier, the groundbreaking actor and enduring inspiration who transformed how Black people were portrayed on screen and became the first Black actor to win an Academy Award for best lead performance and the first to be a top box-office draw, died Jan. 6, 2022. He was 94. Poitier won the best actor Oscar in 1964 for âLilies of the Field.â
Ronnie Spector
Updated
Ronnie Spector, the cat-eyed, bee-hived rock ânâ roll siren who sang such 1960s hits as âBe My Baby,â âBaby I Love Youâ and âWalking in the Rainâ as the leader of the girl group The Ronettes, died Jan. 12, 2022. She was 78.
Bob Saget
Updated
Bob Saget, the actor-comedian known for his role as beloved single dad Danny Tanner on the sitcom âFull Houseâ and as the wisecracking host of âAmericaâs Funniest Home Videos,â died Jan. 9, 2022. He was 65.
Louie Anderson
Updated
Louie Anderson, whose four-decade career as a comedian and actor included his unlikely, Emmy-winning performance as mom to twin adult sons in the TV series âBaskets,â died Jan. 21, 2022. He was 68. In 2016, Anderson won a best supporting actor Emmy for his portrayal of Christine Baskets, mother to twins, in the FX series âBaskets.â He was a familiar face elsewhere on TV, including as host of a revival of the game show âFamily Feudâ from 1999 to 2002.
Howard Hesseman
Updated
Howard Hesseman, best known as the hard-rocking disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on the sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati," died Jan. 28, 2022. In addition to earning two Emmy nominations for his role on "WKRP," Hesseman also appeared on "Head of the Class" and "One Day at a Time," along with guest appearances on "That 70's Show," among others. The Oregon native also hosted "Saturday Night Live" several times. â CNN
Sally Kellerman
Updated
Sally Kellerman, the Oscar and Emmy nominated actor who played Margaret âHot Lipsâ Houlihan in director Robert Altman's 1970 film âMASH," died Feb. 24, 2022, at age 84. Kellerman had a career of more than 60 years in film and television. She played a college professor who was returning student Rodney Dangerfield's love interest in the 1986 comedy âBack to School.â But she would always be best known for playing Major Houlihan, a straitlaced, by-the-book Army nurse who is tormented by rowdy doctors during the Korean War in the army comedy âMASH."
Peter Bogdanovich
Updated
Peter Bogdanovich, the ascot-wearing cinephile and director of 1970s black-and-white classics like âThe Last Picture Showâ and âPaper Moon,â died Jan. 6, 2022. He was 82. Bogdanovich was heralded as an auteur from the start, with the chilling lone shooter film âTargetsâ and soon after âThe Last Picture Show,â from 1971, his evocative portrait of a small, dying town that earned eight Oscar nominations and catapulted him to stardom.
AndrÊ Leon Talley
Updated
AndrÊ Leon Talley, a towering figure who made fashion history as a rare Black editor in an overwhelmingly white industry, died Jan. 18, 2022. He was 73. Talley was the former creative director and editor at large of Vogue magazine. Often dressed in sweeping capes, he was a highly visible regular in the front row of fashion shows in New York and Europe for decades.
Marilyn Bergman
Updated
Marilyn Bergman, the Oscar-winning lyricist who teamed with husband Alan Bergman on âThe Way We Were,â âHow Do You Keep the Music Playing?â and hundreds of other songs, died Jan. 8, 2022. She was 93.
Gaspard Ulliel
Updated
French actor Gaspard Ulliel, known for appearing in Chanel perfume ads as well as film and television roles, died Jan. 19, 2022, after a skiing accident in the Alps. He was 37. Ulliel portrayed the young Hannibal Lecter in 2007's âHannibal Risingâ and fashion mogul Yves Saint Laurent in the 2014 biopic âSaint Laurent.â He is also in the Marvel series âMoon Knight."
Ivan Reitman
Updated
Ivan Reitman, the influential filmmaker and producer behind many of the most beloved comedies of the late 20th century, from âAnimal Houseâ to âGhostbusters,â died Feb. 12, 2022. He was 75. Known for bawdy comedies that caught the spirit of their time, Reitmanâs big break came with the raucous, college fraternity sendup âNational Lampoonâs Animal House,â which he produced. He directed Bill Murray in his first starring role in the summer camp flick âMeatballs," and then again in 1981's âStripes,â but his most significant success came with 1984âs âGhostbusters.â
Dan Reeves
Updated
Dan Reeves, who won a Super Bowl as a player with the Dallas Cowboys but was best known for a long coaching career highlighted by four more appearances in the title game with the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons, all losses, died Jan. 1, 2022. He was 77.
Don Maynard
Updated
Don Maynard, a Hall of Fame receiver who made his biggest impact catching passes from Joe Namath in the wide-open AFL, died Jan. 10, 2022. He was 86. When Maynard retired in 1973, he was pro footballâs career receiving leader with 633 catches for 11,834 yards and 88 touchdowns. The Jets retired his No. 13 jersey.
Michael Lang
Updated
Michael Lang, a co-creator and promoter of the 1969 Woodstock music festival that served as a touchstone for generations of music fans, died Jan. 8, 2022. He was 77.
Lawrence N. Brooks
Updated
Lawrence N. Brooks, the oldest World War II veteran in the U.S. â and believed to be the oldest man in the country â died Jan. 5, 2022, at the age of 112.
Charles McGee
Updated
Charles McGee, a Tuskegee Airman who flew 409 fighter combat missions over three wars and later helped to bring attention to the Black pilots who had battled racism at home to fight for freedom abroad, died Jan. 16, 2022. He was 102.
Manfred Thierry Mugler
Updated
French fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler, whose dramatic designs were worn by celebrities like Madonna, Lady Gaga and Cardi B, died Jan. 23, 2022. He was 73. Mugler, who launched his brand in 1973, became known for his architectural style, defined by broad shoulders and a tiny waist. The use of plastic-like futuristic fabric in his sculpted clothing became a trademark.
Bill Fitch
Updated
Bill Fitch, who guided the Boston Celtics to one of their championships during a Hall of Fame coaching career spanning three decades, died Feb. 2, 2022. He was 89. A two-time NBA coach of the year, Fitch coached for 25 seasons in the NBA, starting with the expansion Cleveland Cavaliers in 1970. He was Larry Bird's first pro coach with Boston in 1979, won a title with the Celtics in 1981 and spent time with Houston, New Jersey and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Gary Brooker
Updated
Gary Brooker, the Procol Harum frontman who sang one of the 1960s' most enduring hits, âA Whiter Shade of Pale,â died Feb. 19, 2022. He was 76. Brooker was singer and keyboard player with the band, which had a huge hit with its first single, âA Whiter Shade of Pale.â With its Baroque-flavored organ solo and mysterious opening line - âWe skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels cross the floor" â the song became one of the signature tunes of the 1967 âSummer of Love.â
Charley Taylor
Updated
Charley Taylor, the Hall of Fame receiver who ended his 13-season career with Washington as the NFL's career receptions leader, died Feb. 19, 2022. He was 80. Taylor was the 1964 NFL rookie of the year and was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-1960s Team. The eight-time Pro Bowl selection was a first-team all-NFL pick in 1967.
Dwayne Hickman
Updated
Dwayne Hickman, the actor and network TV executive who despite numerous achievements throughout his life would always be remembered fondly by a generation of baby boomers for his role as Dobie Gillis, died Jan. 9, 2022. He was 87.
Emilio Delgado
Updated
Emilio Delgado, who spent more than 40 years entertaining generations of children playing the Fix-It Shop owner Luis on "Sesame Street," died March 10, 2022. He was 81. Delgado had cited the PBS show's importance as a cultural touchstone in the way people of color were depicted on TV. â CNN
Emilio Delgado, 'Sesame Street's' Luis for more than 40 years, dies at 81
William Hurt
Updated
William Hurt, whose laconic charisma and self-assured subtlety as an actor made him one of the 1980s foremost leading men in movies such as âBroadcast News," âBody Heatâ and âThe Big Chill,â died March 13, 2022. He was 71. In a long-running career, Hurt was four times nominated for an Academy Award, winning for 1985's âKiss of the Spider Woman.â After his breakthrough in 1980âs Paddy Chayefsky-scripted âAltered Statesâ as a psychopathologist studying schizophrenia and experimenting with sensory deprivation, Hurt quickly emerged as a mainstay of the '80s.
Madeleine Albright
Updated
Madeleine Albright, the first female U.S. secretary of state, has died of cancer. She was 84. President Bill Clinton chose Albright as Americaâs top diplomat in 1996, and she served in that capacity for the last four years of the Clinton administration. She had previously been Clinton's ambassador to the United Nations.
Brent Renaud
Updated
Brent Renaud, an acclaimed filmmaker who traveled to some of the darkest and most dangerous corners of the world for documentaries that transported audiences to little-known places of suffering, died March 13, 2022, after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle in Ukraine.
Scott Hall
Updated
Scott Hall, professional wrestlingâs âBad Guyâ who revolutionized the industry as a founding member of the New World Order faction, died March 14, 2022. He was 63. Hall, who also wrestled for WWE as Razor Ramon, was a two-time inductee into the companyâs Hall of Fame.
Don Young
Updated
Alaska Rep. Don Young, who was the longest-serving Republican in the history of the U.S. House, died March 25, 2033. He was 88. Young, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 1973, was known for his brusque style. In his later years in office, his off-color comments and gaffes sometimes overshadowed his work.
Taylor Hawkins
Updated
Taylor Hawkins, for 25 years the drummer for Foo Fighters and best friend of frontman Dave Grohl, died during a South American tour with the rock band. He was 50. Hawkins was Alanis Morissette's touring drummer when he joined Foo Fighters in 1997. He played on the band's biggest albums including âOne by Oneâ and âIn Your Honor,â and on hit singles like âBest of You.â
John Clayton
Updated
Longtime NFL journalist John Clayton, nicknamed "The Professor," died March 25, 2022, following a short illness. He was 67. Clayton spent more than two decades covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for the The Pittsburgh Press and the Seattle Seahawks for The News Tribune in Tacoma. Clayton moved to ESPN in 1995, becoming one of the lead NFL writers for the company. Clayton appeared on TV and radio for ESPN and worked at the company for more than 20 years.
