In the past month, researchers transplanted pig hearts into two people who had suffered catastrophic heart failure and were left brain dead but remained on life support.
Deane E. Smith, cardiothoracic surgeon and director of mechanical circulatory support at NYU Langone Health; cardiothoracic surgeon Syed T. Hussain; and Nader Moazami, surgical director of heart transplantation at the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, prepare a pig heart for xenotransplantation at NYU Langone Health on July 6 in New York.
. The NYU research in subjects considered deceased is different because it allows researchers to rigorously test, refine treatments and collect detailed data without fear that experimentation will take a patient’s life. The current system doesn’t offer much for some patients, including young children with heart issues, because their peers are largely staying out of harms’ way.
Before they are transplanted, pig hearts require genetic modification to reduce the risk of rejection and to ensure proper function. Researchers “knock out” — or silence — particular genes to prevent human antibodies from attacking the new organ when it is connected, Montgomery said. The researchers also prevent the expression of genes that would allow the heart to grow larger once inside the person receiving the transplant and exposed to human growth hormone.
And while the first pig heart transplant in a living patient ended in the patient's death in Maryland nearly two months later, his outcome was complicated by a pig virus later found in the transplanted heart. Why the 57-year-old man’s heart ultimately failed remains in question. The heart was smaller than expected and Moazami had to improvise to connect some of the vessels that needed to be connected.
Doctors learned from the Maryland case and implemented more sensitive testing for the pig virus that might have complicated the patient’s recovery there. The virus was not detected in either NYU subject.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mice Fed Fatty Diets For 30 Weeks Show Signs of Depression, Anxiety, And Alzheimer'sThe cheap, readily available, highly processed food we're consuming too much of is bad for us. An interesting new mouse study has backed up the enduring hypothesis that high fat and sugar diets and cognitive decline such as Alzheimer's are linked.
Read more »
6 Signs Your Cough Is a Symptom of Heart Disease — Best LifeCould your cough actually be a symptom of heart disease? We asked a doctor to explain the warning signs that a cough could be something more.
Read more »
Democrats weigh a range of tax increases in revived Build Back Better planPresident Biden’s Build Back Better plan was left for dead last December — but pieces of it have shown signs of life.
Read more »
Rage Against The Machine in Fine, Typically Fierce Form During First Show in 11 YearsRage Against The Machine showed no signs of rust in their first show in 11 years. 👏
Read more »
Kim Kardashian Explains Why North West Held Up a ‘Stop’ Sign During a Fashion ShowNorth West recently found a way to tell photographers at a recent Paris Fashion Week runway show to back off while seated in the front row.
Read more »
Stem Cells Used to Repair Heart Defects in ChildrenDoctors are turning to stem cells to give big hope for little hearts born with a complex congenital heart defect.
Read more »