Would you like another chance in life if that means getting a pig heart transplant, Roomies? Well, researchers are moving forward with surgical experiments to make that a reality! As we previously reported, doctors at the University of Maryland tried the experiment last year without success, but researchers seem to be making progress at New York University.
According to NBC News, researchers at NYU Langone Health recently transplanted pig hearts into two people on life support after heart failure left them brain dead. According to the report, the hearts of both patients continued to function throughout the three days of the experiment and were not immediately rejected by new organs.
Dr Nader Moazami, a surgeon involved in the experiment, had this to say about their findings:
The heart literally beats wildly. It was perfectly normal contract. We have learned a lot. “
Unlike University of Maryland doctors, who transplanted a pig heart into a living patient last year, the NYU team did so on patients who were declared clinically dead. Doctors hope that the new research model will be more successful because it allows studies to “closely examine, refine treatments, and collect detailed data without fear that the trial will take away patient’s life,” NBC reported.
As the nationwide supply of organs needed to perform transplants continues to decline, doctors are said to be hopeful that organs can “expand access to transplants and allowing physicians to expand who is qualified to perform such procedures.”
In 2021, the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network reports that more than 116,000 people in the United States are on a waiting list for an organ transplant.
Doctors have yet to clean the pig’s organs for medical use as the procedure is still in the experimental stage.
Want updates directly in your inbox? Contact us at 917-722-8057 or Click here to join!
