The 57-year-old, who had a pig heart used as a replacement organ for the first time in the world, is dead. David Bennett died on Tuesday, around two months after the operation, the University Hospital in Baltimore said on Wednesday.
His condition started deteriorating a few days ago.
In a milestone in the field of organ transplantation, the man suffering from a life-threatening heart disease had the genetically modified organ implanted in an operation lasting several hours at the beginning of January.
After the operation, the patient was still connected to a heart-lung machine for a few days, after which his condition was initially relatively stable, according to the doctors.
At that time, there was no hyperacute rejection reaction, which can occur after just a few hours with such transplants, the doctors said.
According to the surgeons, the eight-hour operation was the only way to prolong the patient's life.
The man suffered from end-stage heart failure.