Exploring Xenotransplantation: Is the Future of Heart Transplants Now?

Host: Matthew Sorrentino, MD Guest: Javed Butler, MD In a groundbreaking procedure, a 57-year-old man with life-threatening heart disease received a heart from a genetically altered pig. Surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center performed the 8-hour operation, making it the first successful transplant of a pig's heart into a human being. And while much is still uncertain, what could this achievement mean for the future of organ transplantation? That’s what ReachMD hosts Dr. Matthew Sorrentino and Dr. Javed Butler explore together. Please note: Since the date of publication, David Bennet, the patient who received a heart transplant from a pig, died at the age of 57 at the University of Maryland Medical Center on March 8, 2022.