Lawrence Faucette, the second patient in the world to receive a genetically modified pig heart transplant, died six weeks after the procedure. The man had endstage heart failure and received the organ on September 20th. During the first month of recovery, the transplanted heart performed well. But in recent days the body began to show signs of rejection. Lawrence died on Monday (October 30).
“We mourn the loss of Mr. Faucette, a remarkable patient, scientist, Marine veteran and family man who simply wanted to spend a little more time with his loving wife, children and family,” said Dr. Bartley P. Griffith of the University of Maryland Medical Center.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization for the operation on September 15 under the compassionate use mechanism. The procedure is used when an experimental medical device in this case genetically modified pig hearts is the only available option for a person suffering from a serious or lifethreatening illness.
“We cannot thank Mr. Faucette and his family enough for allowing us to continue to make significant progress toward making xenotransplantation a reality. Mr. Faucette was a scientist who not only read and interpreted his own biopsies, but also understood the important contribution he made to the advancement of the field. As with the first patient, David Bennett Sr., we intend to conduct a comprehensive analysis to identify preventable factors in future transplants; This will allow us to further advance our colleagues in this field and educate them about our experiences,” emphasized the scientific director of the Cardiac Xenotransplantation Program, Muhammad M. Mohiuddin.
Lawrence’s wife, Ann Faucette, thanked the medical team responsible for the transplant and said her husband had no idea he could survive this long. “He was a man who always thought of others, especially me and his two sons. The kindness and selfless acts of others did not go unnoticed. Larry constantly told the nurses, support staff, and doctors how much he appreciated what they were doing.” He thought not only about how this trip would help advance the xenotransplantation program, but also about the impact she would have on his family,” he said.
The first historic operation of its kind was performed on David Bennett in January 2022. He died of heart failure in July last year.