On January 7, a team from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States said that the world's first pig heart transplant was performed on a 57-year-old man with advanced heart disease. According to China Business News, Professor Wu Zhongjun, director of the Artificial Organ Laboratory at the University of Maryland, revealed on January 15 that the patient had been released from ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, which can provide patients with long-term cardiopulmonary support) 2 days ago, and had been removed from ECMO two days ago. Started walking down the ground 1 day ago. The team of doctors at the University of Maryland said it will monitor patients' immune responses and heart function, and will continue to conduct controlled clinical trials.
The patient was previously unable to receive a mechanical heart pump and a human heart transplant due to a severe arrhythmia and a history of poor prior non-compliance with medical treatment. Considering the patient's imminent death, doctors transplanted him a pig heart provided by Revivicor after obtaining "compassionate use" approval from the FDA. The transplant, which took eight hours, went well and the heart was in good condition. Scientists at Revivicor removed four genes from the donor pig's genome and added six human genes to prevent the organ from overgrowing and the body's immune system from attacking the heart, among other things. The company plans to launch a new clinical-grade pig facility by the end of 2023 to help patients in need of organ transplants through more clinical trials.
