Pig Heart Transplant

[Mik]

Wonderful.

[Copper]

So now the pig heart is the strongest part he has.

[jon-nyc]

Yeah, even regular transplants that happen after a month of ECMO have long recovery times.

By contrast I was out of ICU in 2 days, out of hospital in 14. Did a 5k (walk mostly) at 3months.

[jon-nyc]

By the way, a history of non-compliance is enough to get you rejected by many programs.

But the guy’s trouble finding a program that would accept him probably was part of his decision to accept the animal heart in the first place.

[jon-nyc]

Another thing, that Dr’s interview is one big HIPPA violation

[Mik]

I suspect the appropriate authorizations were signed in advance and probably a condition of taking part.

[Jolly]

@jon-nyc said in Heart Transplant:

Yeah, even regular transplants that happen after a month of ECMO have long recovery times.

By contrast I was out of ICU in 2 days, out of hospital in 14. Did a 5k (walk mostly) at 3months.

That's wicked good.

[jon-nyc]

@jolly said in Heart Transplant:

@jon-nyc said in Heart Transplant:

Yeah, even regular transplants that happen after a month of ECMO have long recovery times.

By contrast I was out of ICU in 2 days, out of hospital in 14. Did a 5k (walk mostly) at 3months.

That's wicked good.

Thanks. The 5k in particular, even though I walked much of it I still finished in 39m. Other guys get out of the hospital in 2 weeks or so. But I don’t know any who were as recovered at 3mo.

[Mik]

Motivation.

[Renauda]

A close friend of mine underwent a whipple surgery in November. Young guy too, in his forties, good shape and no underlying conditions. He was in the ICU for close to three weeks.

You did very well Jon. You one tough guy. Cheers!

[George K]

Long and fascinating article about this transplant, and also a long look at the history of organ transplantation.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/02/28/the-medical-miracle-of-a-pigs-heart-transplant-in-a-human-body

The article mentions the team at Duke, perhaps @jon-nyc knows some of these people.

By the way, the heart surgeons I used to work with (we didn't do transplants at our place - no infrastructure support), all said that the surgery is technically pretty simple. You're sewing big things to big things, after all - not like coronary bypass.

[Mik]

Easy as pie!

[Jolly]

@Mik said in Heart Transplant:

Easy as pie!

Pie resents being called easy.

[taiwan_girl]

Weird that you posted about this today. I just read that the guy died.

[LuFins Dad]

@taiwan_girl said in Heart Transplant:

Weird that you posted about this today. I just read that the guy died.

Yep, I saw that too.

[Axtremus]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/03/09/human-pig-heart-transplant-patient-dies/9437650002/

The transplant patient died.

[Ivorythumper]

do the dark humor jokes go here or in the designated thread?

I'm sorry to hear that.

It was brave that he decided to be a guinea pig.

[Jolly]

This is a win.

The patient was in horrible shape, and there's no way they would have put a human donor heart in him.

[Mik]

A big win. Two months for the first attempt is a pretty good indication of viability.

[Doctor Phibes]

@Mik said in Heart Transplant:

A big win.

Not for pigs, it isn't.