First pig heart to human transplant is a game-changer, say surgeons

Surgeons at the University of Maryland in the US have successfully completed the world’s first pig to human heart transplant.

Muhammad Mohiuddin, who co-founded the university’s xenotransplantation programme, said that the heart is beating very well and beyond expectations.

David Bennett, 57, who received the pig heart in a seven-hour experimental operation, had been deemed ineligible for a human heart transplant.

The operation marks the culmination of years of research for the medical team behind the transplant and could change lives around the world.

More on this story: US man gets pig heart in world-first transplant