One month after an experimental procedure to transplant the heart of a genetically modified pig into a patient with end-stage heart disease, doctors say the heart is functioning on its own and shows no signs of rejection.
Utilization of a new perfusion method commercialized by the Swedish company XVIVO for storing and treating the donor heart after it's harvested. The heart was bathed in a special blend of hormones, electrolytes, nutrients, and dissolved cocaine, all of which contribute to minimizing ischemic injury and shown in prior studies to significantly extend xenograft viability.