David Bennett, 57, is doing well three days after the experimental surgery, doctors say.
US surgeons successfully implant genetically altered pig heart in human
US surgeons have successfully implanted a heart from a genetically modified pig in a 57-year-old man, a medical first that could one day help solve the chronic shortage of organ donations.
Patient gets animal heart in ‘breakthrough’ surgery
The patient consented to the pig heart after being rejected for a human heart transplant
An American hospital patient in the state of Maryland is reportedly in stable condition just days after he received an experimental pig heart transplant as a last resort.
David Bennett, 57, consented to the experimental transplant after realizing it was his final shot at surviving terminal heart disease due to his ineligibility to receive a human heart.
“It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice,” he said before the surgery took place.
While the experiment appears to have been successful, with Bennett breathing on his own just three days after the operation, he remains connected to a heart-lung machine and his condition will continue to be monitored for several weeks.
“This organ transplant demonstrated for the first time that a genetically-modified animal heart can function like a human heart without immediate rejection by the body,” said the University of Maryland School of Medicine, whose scientists performed the procedure.
Bartley P. Griffith, who transplanted the pig heart into Bennett, claimed the “breakthrough surgery” brings mankind “one step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis.”
“There are simply not enough donor human hearts available to meet the long list of potential recipients,” Griffith explained, adding that though the scientists were “proceeding cautiously” with their research, they are “optimistic that this first-in-the-world surgery will provide an important new option for patients in the future.”
North Korea fires suspected ballistic missile: Japan
The launch, the second in less than a week, was also detected by South Korea’s military.
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Afghanistan’s cold and bitter hunger
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Covid PCR tests end for asymptomatic cases in England
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Djokovic saga ‘damaging’, says tennis governing body
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McCarthy vows to remove Democrats from committees if Republicans win House
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has vowed to remove three Democratic lawmakers from key committee assignments if Republicans win back the chamber in the upcoming midterm elections.
North Korea fires ‘unidentified projectile’ in new launch – reports
Launch of what is speculated to be a ballistic missile is the second missile test by Pyongyang in less than a week
Japanese and South Korean governments have reported that a possible ballistic missile was launched by North Korea into the Sea of Japan, warning vessels in the area to stay clear and report any impact.
South Korea’s military said an “unidentified projectile” was launched from the north on Tuesday morning local time. The Japanese coast guard spoke of a “possible” ballistic missile.
If confirmed, this would be the second North Korean launch in the span of six days. Pyongyang said last Wednesday it had test-fired a hypersonic missile that successfully impacted its intended target.
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North Korea claims another hypersonic missile test
The two launches come after DPRK leader Kim Jong-un made a New Year’s resolution to bolster the country’s military capability. In his own New Year’s message, South Korean President Moon Jae-in promised to push for a peace settlement with the northern neighbor before his term ends in May.
North Korea is technically still at war with the South and the US, as the 1953 armistice merely froze the war that divided the Korean Peninsula. Talks on denuclearizing the DPRK started under US President Donald Trump, but stalled after Washington rejected Pyongyang’s request for sanctions relief. Although US President Joe Biden administration repeatedly stated that it was ready for US-North Korea talks “anywhere, anytime” and “without preconditions” the effort has not been revived.