# The pig-heart transplant story is even more interesting than I expected! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 11, 2022, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568 "2022-01-11T04:43:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/1 "2022-01-11T04:43:02Z")
Not only is the surgeon, Dr. Robert Montgomery, married to opera singer Denyce Graves, but he’s a heart transplant recipient himself, because of a rare genetic disorder. He was desperate enough to be willing to receive a heart from someone who had hepatitis C, for which he later received treatment. > **[Robert Montgomery (physician)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Montgomery_(physician))** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Robert Montgomery is the director of the Transplant Institute at NYU Langone Health. > Montgomery was born in January 1960, in Buffalo, New York and spent his early years on Potter Avenue in Orchard Park, New York growing up with his three older brothers and all the kids on the street. The fourth of four male siblings, he decided to pursue a career in medicine after the long illness and death of his father from familial cardiomyopathy at age 52. He... > **[The Stunning Comeback of a Top Transplant Surgeon Who Got a New Heart at His...](https://leaps.org/the-stunning-comeback-of-a-top-transplant-surgeon-who-got-a-new-heart-at-his-own-hospital/particle-1)** > > The Stunning Comeback of a Top Transplant Surgeon Who Got a New Heart at His Own Hospital I do remember Baby Fae from the early 1980s (a newborn who got a baboon heart, and lived with it for several weeks) and have seen stories about animal organs being used back in the day. This heart was genetically altered to also contain human genes; we’ll see what happens to the patient. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/2 "2022-01-11T05:08:27Z")
ETA: Dr. Montgomery was not the surgeon who did the direct transplant, but he was involved in the process. He specializes in kidney transplantation. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/3 "2022-01-12T03:09:39Z")
Who gets the pork chops? ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/4 "2022-01-14T16:40:44Z")
That isn’t the only fascinating wrinkle in the story: > **[The ethics of a second chance: Pig heart transplant recipient stabbed a man...](https://news.yahoo.com/once-stabbed-man-seven-times-155320516.html)** > > Decades before David Bennett Sr. received the first-ever genetically modified pig heart transplant, he was convicted of a stabbing that left a man paralyzed. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/5 "2022-01-14T20:07:38Z")
Interesting. I wonder if his SOCIAL history actually made him ineligible. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/6 "2022-01-14T21:10:11Z")
The Times today had a discussion with his doctor who maintained that he felt an obligation to treat everyone equally and not look at their social value. Or something like that. Anyway, he is a guinea pig and likely won’t survive very long. His victim died 19 years after the attack, having been seriously ill (and totally paralyzed) for the rest of his life. It was a really ugly story. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/7 "2022-01-14T22:05:10Z")
Imprisoned felons receive “regular” transplanted organs. I remember in the early days of kidney transplants. The potential recipients’ files were reviewed by a committee. A lot of ethical qualities were weighed to make the final decision as to the actual recipient. Years later, a group of transplant recipients of a variety of organs were interviewed on a TV show. One gentleman had a new heart, and he introduced himself as an owner of an adult book store in Las Vegas. I realized then, things had really CHANGED. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/8 "2022-01-14T22:49:22Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > Years later, a group of transplant recipients of a variety of organs were interviewed on a TV show. One gentleman had a new heart, and he introduced himself as an owner of an adult book store in Las Vegas. > > I realized then, things had really CHANGED. What’s wrong with that? I mean, seriously. Is there something ethically wrong with owning an adult book store or is there a point I missed? ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/9 "2022-01-14T22:58:49Z")
WAG, here: they genetically modified the pig heart in order to reduce the chance of rejection. It makes me wonder if the recipient had some sort of immunologic problem that would have been a contraindication for lifelong immunosuppression normally associated with organ transplantation, and that eliminate him from UNOS candidacy. I doubt any such modification to a human organ is currently practicable, but … again … no idea on that one. Or maybe the rejection chances are just thought/known to be wildly higher with a pig heart. Dunno’. [I keep adding] But he already has a pig valve, so … ? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/10 "2022-01-14T23:17:10Z")
The social history is STILL taken into an account. For example, an incarcerated person would have an easier time getting their meds than a person who has no permanent address. Also, and granted this was in 1994, I did clinicals on a transplant unit, and their rule for doing transplants on people who destroyed their organs due to drug abuse was that the person had to be “clean” before they became terminally ill. This issue came up when they did a kidney transplant on a woman who was in recovery from meth addiction, and later, my friend’s BIL was considered for a liver transplant, but he didn’t stop drinking until he became too sick to do so, and he was rejected for this and possibly some other reasons. There was (and still is, TBH) a lot of controversy about Dick Cheney’s heart transplant, but truthfully, at age 71 he was near the bottom of the list anyway, but he got a transplant because a suitable heart was found. UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) is anonymous and uses codes to determine eligibility and “place on the list.” ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/11 "2022-03-09T20:41:37Z")
The recipient died yesterday (Tuesday, the 8th). This story said that he appeared to be improving, and then his condition started deteriorating rapidly a couple days before he died. > **[US man who received 1st pig heart transplant dies after 2 months](https://qctimes.com/news/national/us-man-who-received-1st-pig-heart-transplant-dies-after-2-months/article_4b651edb-29b3-5bbe-a9d7-0c21ba9d04ed.html?utm_source=qctimes.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletter-templates%2Fbreaking&utm_medium=PostUp&utm_content=81e001bfd29a0e8b5718aa7fd44468140fceeacb)** > > The first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig has died, two months after the groundbreaking experiment, hospital announces. ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/12 "2022-03-10T04:34:55Z")
Hey, two months is pretty good for the first attempt. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/13 "2022-03-10T05:50:36Z")
I thought so too. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/14 "2022-03-10T08:40:22Z")
The first thing I wondered was if he was messing up on taking his meds again, which is one of the reasons he was denied a transplant in the first place. I see he never left the hospital tho, so that shouldn’t have been a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/15 "2022-03-10T18:14:44Z")
The story I saw mentioned that no cause of death had been made public yet. But I guess there will be a thorough autopsy and we will know whether it was rejection. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/16 "2022-03-10T19:27:40Z")
The heart rejected him. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/17 "2022-03-11T00:18:51Z")
That’s if his family wishes to release that information. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/18 "2022-03-11T18:43:16Z")
I’m sure we will know since he was participating in a study with the transplant. They are going to want to publish the results of the study and I don’t think the family would try to stop it even if they could. I thought the whole gene modification thing was so the body wouldn’t reject the heart, but apparently that’s wrong. Wouldn’t his medical team have noticed signs of rejection if that was the problem? ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/19 "2022-03-11T19:42:23Z")
I have absolutely no expertise in this, but my understanding is that heart transplant recipients usually undergo rather frequent endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs) in order to look for the pathologic signs _of_ rejection. > **[Endomyocardial biopsy for monitoring heart transplant patients:...](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3515982/)** > > Background: Heart transplantation (HTX) has become an established therapy for patients with end-stage heart failure. Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) still represents the gold standard for routine surveillance of heart transplant rejection. The objective... The genetic modification to Arnold Ziffel’s heart may also not have been 100% effective in preventing rejection (whether or not the patient complied perfectly with his med regimen). RIP, and … OINK. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2022, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568/20 "2022-05-06T20:41:21Z")
Who saw this one coming ? > **[Man who received landmark pig heart transplant may have died of pig virus](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/06/man-landmark-pig-heart-transplant-death-pig-virus)** > > Surgeon of David Bennett, who died two months after surgery, revealed that the pig’s heart was infected with porcine virus [the preview window tells the tale … unless you want details] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pig-heart-transplant-story-is-even-more-interesting-than-i-expected/957568.md?page=2)