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Dying Man Given Modified Pig’s Heart Is ‘Recovering Well’

Lawrence Faucette faced “near-certain death from heart failure” before the transplant.

A 58-year-old man suffering from a terminal heart disease became the second-ever person to receive a genetically modified pig heart in a transplant performed by surgeons with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the campus announced on Friday. The man, Lawrence Faucette, was ineligible for the transplant of a human heart, leaving the pig heart transplant to be his only option. Faucette “is recovering well and communicating with his loved ones,” the university said. The Food and Drug Administration gave emergency approval for the surgery on Sept. 15, allowing Faucette to avoid “near-certain death from heart failure,” according to the university. “We are once again offering a dying patient a shot at a longer life, and we are incredibly grateful to Mr. Faucette for his bravery and willingness to help advance our knowledge of this field,” Faucette’s surgeon Bartley Griffith said.