VOA健康报道2022--医生成功将猪心植入心脏病患者体内

American doctors say they have successfully transplanted a pig heart into a human patient. It is the first such operation of its kind.

A medical team at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore performed the operation.

The team reported Monday that the 57-year-old patient, David Bennett, was recovering well three days after receiving the pig heart. Bennett's doctors said he was breathing on his own while still connected to a heart-lung machine to help his new heart.

Doctors say the next few weeks will be a critical to see how Bennett does with the new organ and whether his body begins to reject it. But the operation marks a new step in years of research to find ways to use animal organs for life-saving transplants for humans.

Bennett's son said his father's heart was failing and he had not been able to get approved for a human heart transplant. So, he agreed to the experimental operation even though he knew there was no guarantee that it would work.

Bennett released a statement through the medical center the day before the operation. In it, he said: "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." A shot in the dark is a guess that is based on little evidence or information.

Past attempts at pig-to-human transplants have failed because of genetic² differences that caused organ rejection³. To reduce the risk of that happening in this case, scientists removed several genes⁴ from the donor⁵ pig that are linked with organ rejection. They also removed another gene¹ from the animal in an effort to prevent too much growth of pig heart tissue.

Bennett's genetically⁶ modified pig heart was provided by Revivicor, a regenerative medicine company based in Blacksburg, Virginia. On the morning of the surgery, the transplant team removed the pig's heart and placed it into a special device to keep it running until the operation.

The transplant was permitted after the university received emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on December 31. Such approvals are sometimes given when a patient with a life-threatening condition has no other treatment possibilities.

Dr. Bartley Griffith led the operation. He called it a "breakthrough" that had brought research "one step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis."

He added, "There are simply not enough donor human hearts available to meet the long list of potential recipients⁷."

Organ donor organizations estimate there are about 110,000 Americans currently waiting for an organ transplant. More than 6,000 patients die each year before getting one, reports organdonor.gov.

Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin is the scientific director at the Maryland university's animal-to-human transplant program. Mohiuddin said, "If this works, there will be an endless supply of these organs for patients who are suffering."

Words in This Story

transplant – v. to perform a medical operation in which an organ or other part that has been removed from the body of one person is put into the body of another person

modify – v. to change something in order to improve it

regenerative – adj. relating to something growing or being grown again

breakthrough – n. an important discovery

potential – adj. possible when the necessary conditions exist

1 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

2 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

3 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

4 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

5 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

6 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

7 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》