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For the first time in the world, The Heart of a Pig was Implanted in a Human Being, Find Out How it Can Save Millions of Lives.

pig's heart has been implanted inside a human being

By parth rakangorPublished 2 years ago 6 min read
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For the first time in the world, a pig's heart has been implanted inside a human being. The feat was performed by American doctors who successfully transplanted a pig's heart into a 57-year-old man.

It is being hailed as a historic step in the medical world, a new hope for the world struggling with the lack of organ transplants.

Hundreds of lives are lost every day worldwide due to lack of organ transplants. Let's find out how the heart of a pig was first implanted in man Why is this discovery a new hope for the world? Why can the status of organ transplant change?

The heart of a pig was transplanted into a man for the first time in the world

Doctors at the University of Maryland Medicine (UMM) in the United States transplanted a pig's heart into David Bennett, a 57-year-old Maryland man, on January 7. This is the first time in the world that a pig's heart has been transplanted into a human being.

Although the pig's heart valve has been used to replace a man's valve in the past, it is the first time a heart has been transplanted.

Why a pig's heart implanted in a man?

A man named David Bennett from the United States who had a pig's heart transplant had no choice but to survive.

In fact, a human heart transplant was not possible in Bennett due to heart failure and heart failure. To save Bennett's life, the doctors finally decided to transplant the pig's heart.

"It simply came to our notice then. I want to live. I know this is like marking in the dark but this is my ultimate choice. "

How is a pig's heart transplanted into a man?

Doctors who performed a pig heart transplant on David Bennett said Bennett was in good health three days after the transplant surgery and the transplanted pig's heart was working normally. This heart is creating pulse and pressure just like human heart.

What changes have been made in the heart of the pig?

A total of 10 mutations were made in a gene to transplant a pig's heart into an American man.

According to a report in The New Scientist, the pig's heart was developed by the American firm Revivicor. Researchers made 10 mutations in pig genes prior to heart transplants.

For this the gene editing technique was relied upon. This genetically modified heart of a pig was transplanted into an American person.

In fact, there is a risk of transplant failure if the human body rejects an external organ transplant as an external element, so Bennett fitted the pig's heart for transplant by genetically engineering three genes for a heart transplant.

Why is organ transplant the biggest risk?

Whenever another person's organ is transplanted into a human being, the biggest problem is that the body does not accept it as an external organ.

Whenever an organ is transplanted in the human body, the human body considers that organ as external.

This is because the human immune system sees that the antigens on the cells of the transplanted organ do not match the existing antigens in the body.

This causes the body to reject the transplanted organ. Many times the body reacts against it, believing that the transplanted organ will harm the body.

When the transplant fails, the organ does not function properly, which gives rise to a dangerous disease like cancer in the body. Organ transplant failure is life threatening.

Many times when an organ transplant fails, a person comes across cases of cancer like lung cancer, liver cancer or kidney. That is, failure of an organ transplant carries a risk of cancer in the same organ.

What are animal organ transplants in humans?

This is the first time in the world that a pig's heart has been transplanted into a human body, but even before this, attempts have been made to transplant the organs of many animals like rabbits, monkeys and langurs into humans.

The process of transplanting animal organs into humans is called genotransplantation.

Genotransplantation is a procedure in which organs such as the heart, kidneys or liver of animals are transplanted into the human body.

The process of genotransplantation is centuries old, but it has not been very successful. The story of Ganesha wearing an elephant's head is discussed in mythology, but modern science has not had much success in it.

In 1960, 13 people received a chimpanzee kidney transplant, 12 of whom died within a week of the transplant, while one patient survived for another nine months.

The process of genotransplantation almost stopped after an incident in 1984. A baboon's heart was transplanted in a baby born in 1984 with a heart disease called Baby Phi in California. But the baby died just a few months after the transplant.

Even after that he made some unsuccessful attempts. For the first time in June 1992, a langur liver was transplanted into a human body. The patient died of a brain hemorrhage 70 days after the transplant.

A 62-year-old man underwent a liver transplant in January 1993 but died 26 days later.

American scientists have also experimented with transplanting a pig's kidney into a branded woman in October 2021.

Why a pig heart transplant awakens hope for the future in man

Every year thousands of people die waiting for an organ transplant. In fact, millions of people every year need an organ transplant, such as a kidney, liver or heart.

But due to lack of donor of these organs, the person dies due to lack of treatment. Genotransplantation means that thousands of lives could be saved every year if the transplantation of organs of pigs or other animals into humans is successful.

Why are pig organs suitable for transplantation in humans?

There was a lot of work in the field of genotransplants in the 19th century. Scientists transplanted the organs of rabbits, monkeys and monkeys into humans, but after 1990, scientists considered pigs to be the best option for genotransplantation.

Pigs have long been considered a potential transplant option in humans, as their genes are very similar to those of humans, as their hearts resemble the shape of an adult human heart.

At the same time, research is underway to transplant many other organs of pigs in humans, such as the kidneys, liver and lungs.

Deaths await organ transplants in India every year

Millions of people die every year in India waiting for organ transplants like kidney, liver or heart transplants.

India needs a kidney, liver or heart transplant every year, but only a few of them can get this facility.

There are only 300 centers for heart transplantation in India, most of them in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

According to the National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organization (NOTTO), only 300 people underwent heart transplants in the country between 2016 and 2018, compared to only 350 between 1994 and 2015.

According to an NDTV report, more than 2 lakh people in the country need a kidney transplant every year, but only 15 thousand people can get a kidney transplant.

Similarly, more than 1 lakh people in the country need a liver transplant every year, but only a thousand people can get a liver transplant.

The situation is even worse in countries like America

According to Organdonor.gov, more than 1 million people in the United States are on the waiting list for an organ transplant.

Organ transplants kill 17 people every day in the United States.

According to experts, one donor alone can save about 9 lives.

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parth rakangor

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