In a miraculous surgery the heart of a pig was transplanted into a dying man by surgeons in the United States

In a remarkable medical procedure, surgeons in the United States transplanted a pig’s heart into a terminally ill man to extend his life. This experimental surgery made the patient the second person in the world to undergo such a groundbreaking operation.

According to Maryland doctors, two days after the procedure, the man was able to sit up in a chair and share jokes. The 58-year-old Navy veteran faced near-certain death due to heart failure, but his other health issues prevented him from undergoing a traditional heart transplant, according to physicians at the University of Maryland Medicine.

“Nobody knows from this point forward. At least now I have hope and I have a chance,” said Lawrence Faucette, who hails from Frederick, Maryland. A video recorded by the hospital before the surgery shows him saying, “I will fight tooth and nail for every breath I can take.”

While the coming weeks are critical for Faucette, doctors have been encouraged by his early response to the pig heart transplant.

Dr. Bartley Griffith, who performed the surgery, expressed his amazement, saying, “You know, I just keep shaking my head – how am I talking to someone who has a pig heart?”. He acknowledged the privilege and pressure associated with this groundbreaking procedure.

Last year, the same team in Maryland conducted the first-ever transplant of a genetically modified pig heart into another man who was on the brink of death. Unfortunately, that patient, David Bennett, survived for only two months.

Faucette, a former lab technician at the National Institutes of Health, fully understood the risks involved in the surgery before going under the knife. In a message to his wife, Ann Faucette, he stated, “We have no expectations other than hoping for more time together. That could be as simple as sitting on the front porch and having coffee together.”

Following the Wednesday surgery, the man’s new heart was functioning well on Friday without the need for support from machinery, according to the hospital.

Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, the xenotransplantation expert on the Maryland team, marveled at the sight of the pig heart functioning in a human body, saying, “It’s just an amazing feeling to see this pig heart work in a human.” However, he cautioned against making predictions, emphasizing the need to take each day as a victory and move forward.