Second-ever pig heart transplant recipient dies: ‘We will miss him tremendously’

The world’s second pig heart transplant recipient has died six weeks after having the organ implanted, the University of Maryland Medical Center announced Tuesday.

The patient, 58-year-old Lawrence Faucette — a Navy veteran and retired lab technician at the National Institutes of Health — only began showing signs that his body was rejecting the pig heart in the few days before his Oct. 30 passing.

Prior to that, he was progressing well in physical therapy to regain walking capabilities — and even had the energy to play cards with his wife, according to the medical center.

“Nobody knows from this point forward. At least now I have hope and I have a chance,” Faucette said just prior to his September surgery.

In the final weeks of his life, Faucette, of Frederick, Maryland, developed an incredibly special relationship with his surgical team. He was aware that his operation had implications for major medical advances in the future, according to his surgeon, Dr. Bartley P. Griffith.

“Mr. Faucette’s last wish was for us to make the most of what we have learned from our experience, so others may be guaranteed a chance for a new heart when a human organ is unavailable,” Griffith added.

“He then told the team of doctors and nurses who gathered around him that he loved us. We will miss him tremendously.”

Faucette first checked into the UMMC on Sept. 14 during the end stages of heart failure and needed resuscitation at the time.

The next day, he was granted FDA approval for the xenotransplant surgery as a last resort as other health issues inhibited Faucette from taking a traditional human transplant.

“He knew his time with us was short, and this was his last chance to do for others. He never imagined he would survive as long as he did, or provide as much data to the xenotransplant program,” Lawrence’s wife, Ann Faucette said.

“He was a man who was always thinking of others, especially myself and his two sons.”

The heart that Faucette was given had been modified to remove certain pig genes while also adding human ones in an attempt to help prevent rejection.

Last year, UMCC completed the world’s first pig heart transplant into 57-year-old David Bennett Sr, who survived for two months with the organ before it became infected with a pig virus.

Bennett’s family had also shown support to the Faucettes, Ann said.

“As with the first patient, David Bennett, Sr., we intend to conduct an extensive analysis to identify factors that can be prevented in future transplants; this will allow us to continue to move forward and educate our colleagues in the field on our experience,” surgeon Muhammad Mohiuddin added.

“We cannot express enough gratitude to Mr. Faucette and his family for enabling us to continue to make significant advancements towards making xenotransplants a reality.”

Recently, NYU Langone Health successfully transferred a pig kidney into a brain-dead patient through a similar gene editing process. In September, the organ successfully crossed a two-month threshold before recipient Maurice Miller died 61 days after the operation.