Pig heart transplanted into American man in breakthrough surgery
Surgeons at University of Maryland Medical Center have performed the first-of-its-kind procedure on a Maryland resident identified as David Bennett. The 57-year-old man who was out of options, became the first successful recipient of a genetically-modified pig heart. Bennett was diagnosed with a terminal heart disease and had been hospitalized and bedridden for several weeks after being "deemed ineligible" for a traditional heart transplant. The patient said in a statement published by the University of Maryland Medical Center; "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. "I look forward to getting out of bed after I recover." U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorization for the surgery under its compassionate use provision on New Year's Eve. Researchers said the procedure required 10 unique gene edits to the pig heart in order to prevent the rejec