US surgeons successfully implant pig heart in human

New Delhi : The US surgeons have successfully implanted a genetically modified pig's heart in a 57-year-old man, a medical first that may solve the chronic shortage of organ donation.

The 'historic' surgery was done on Friday, the University of Maryland Medical School said in a statement on Monday. This has marked a major milestone for animal to human transplantation.

The patient, David Bennett, had been deemed ineligible for human transplant -- a decision that is often taken when the recipient has very poor underlying health.

He is now recovering and under constant observation to learn how the new organ is performing.

"It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it's a shot in the dark, but it's my last choice," the Maryland resident said a day before the surgery.

Bennett, who has spent the last several months bedridden on a heart-lung bypass machine, added: "I look forward to getting out of bed after I recover."

For the transplant, 10 genes were edited to allow human body to accept the pig organ.