US man who received first-of-its-kind pig heart transplant dies in hospital

David Bennett (57) received the transplant on January 7th

Dr Bartley Griffith of University of Maryland Medical Centre and David Bennett. Photograph: David Bennett jnr/PA Wire
Dr Bartley Griffith of University of Maryland Medical Centre and David Bennett. Photograph: David Bennett jnr/PA Wire

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 has announced.

David Bennett (57) died on Tuesday at the University of Maryland Medical Centre.

Doctors did not give an exact cause of death, saying only that his condition had begun deteriorating several days earlier.

Mr 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.

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“We are grateful for every innovative moment, every crazy dream, every sleepless night that went into this historic effort,” David Bennett Jnr 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.”

Mr Bennett received the transplant on January 7th. – Reuters/AP