Patient in Groundbreaking Heart Transplant Dies (nytimes.com) 33
The first person to have his failing heart replaced with that of a genetically altered pig in a groundbreaking operation died Tuesday afternoon at the University of Maryland Medical Center, two months after the transplant surgery. From a report: David Bennett Sr., who lived in Maryland, was 57. He had severe heart disease, and had agreed to receive the experimental pig's heart after he was rejected from several waiting lists to receive a human heart. It was unclear whether his body had rejected the foreign organ. "There was no obvious cause identified at the time of his death," a hospital spokeswoman told the newspaper. The report adds: Hospital officials said they could not comment further on the cause of death, because his physicians had yet to conduct a thorough examination. They plan to publish the results in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Dr. Bartley Griffith, the surgeon who performed the transplant, said the hospital's staff was "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. Griffith said. "Mr. Bennett became known by millions of people around the world for his courage and steadfast will to live."
Two months (Score:4, Informative)
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The first human heart transplant survived 18 days. This technology gives a lot of hope.
But today we have Twitter, a place that is undoubtedly already full of snarky memes on the theme of Science Doesn't Work.
Re:Two months (Score:4, Insightful)
Two months is pretty good, especially when you consider that the reason folks are normally rejected from transplant lists is because they're judged unlikely to survive and keep the new organ healthy due to other health and lifestyle issues.
Still pretty impressive (Score:2)
Yes, just two months. On the other hand, two months in a highly experimental and risky procedure. Usually the subjects of those last much shorter and it is still worth it, stipulating informed consent, of course. The next 10 or 20 patients for this procedure will have to live with a high risk of sudden death as well, but then things should get better.
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Quite possibly. As his heart was likely very closely monitored but they do not really know what the issue was, another cause may well be what happened.
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a blue what?
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You're an idiot.
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What else could have killed this healthy individual out of a blue?
And we found the cult member in the room.
Re:"Could you eat bacon ..." (Score:2)
Not being a mental weakling I'd have no problem. Neither would a pig as pigs eat other pigs now and then.
Nature isn't some childish (everything childish is scornworthy except in children and they're rightly expected to outgrow that shit) Disney hugbox.
Life consumes life to live. Life is food. Life provides tools for other life. Nature is savage (in the original sense of the word).
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There is nothing natural in the way humans consume meat today. Industrially produced in unnatural conditions, and a much higher portion of the diet than historically typical.
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Nature isn't some childish (everything childish is scornworthy except in children and they're rightly expected to outgrow that shit) Disney hugbox.
On the other hand, there's hardly anything more childish than people who reject everything "childish" because they're terrified of social stigma. This is not to say that they should have any problem eating bacon because they have a pig heart. They might want to avoid the actual animal though, in some cases. Having a transplant organ, they will almost certainly be on immunosuppressants. Since the transplant organ is from a pig, they could potentially be vulnerable to diseases that might affect pigs but not h
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"I wonder if he had a problem eating pork after getting a pig's heart... Could you eat bacon knowing the same animal was keeping you alive?"
As a Jew or Muslim, would you let your daughter marry him?
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Are you unaware that eating is also keeping you alive?
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The animal already died to keep you alive. The donor doesn't survive without a heart.
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Pig'll eat a pig, a pig's heart, or anything else.
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Pig'll eat a pig, a pig's heart, or anything else.
And the occasional farmer who slips and falls among them:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world... [bbc.com]
Set Reminder: 1 Year (Score:1)
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This discussion is going to be mostly speculation, right? Looking forward to hearing the reason for failure, but the future is bright!
Indeed. Same here. 2 months for this is already impressive.
My horse penis (Score:2)
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...in yer bu**hole. /badjoke.
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My horse penis transplant is still holding on...
But your girlfriend left you anyway, when during a quarrel over the TV remote you kicked her.
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Alternate Link (Score:2)
No paywall. [wtop.com]
Cause of death... (Score:2)
Allow me to fill it in.
"Pig heart found in chest cavity."
Patient? What about his victim? (Score:1)
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The queue for a pig heart transplant is people who we don't want to waste a human heart on. Generally for something like that it means they think you're going to die soon anyway even with the transplant, which appears to have been correct.
What queue? (Score:5, Insightful)
Seems like he was rejected from the queue. Anyway, the crime was 34 years ago, it happened in a bar fight, and he served his time. While I've never assaulted anybody, I'd hate to have my lowest point singled out, and to be judged on it it forever.
If his record was clean since then, I don't think he should be begrudged a pig heart that would likely result in his death.
Thank you, and bless you Mr. Bennett (Score:2)
You were the first, but with luck, not at all the last.
Although a small amount of time, I think it was great that he was able to enjoy a bit more time with family and friends.