Man given genetically modified pig heart dies • Hacker News Board

Re: Man given genetically modified pig heart dies

#171

Post by throwawaycities » Thu, Mar 10, 2022, 3:21 AM UTC

throwaway290 wrote: post #168

bradly wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have an uncle in his sixties that has drank and smoked his whole life and he has been on heart and liver transplant list for about a year. Because he continued to live unhealthily his heart started failing this week with multiple heart attacks they moved him to level one priority and he will likely get his transplants this week. It feels weird that he is now ahead of others because they tried to be healthy and he d…

Funny how having had COVID opens doors (eg. quarantine not required when traveling to some countries, and your example), but at the same time people are punished for not preventing it (vaccination, PPE). Talk about mixed incentives...

> (eg. quarantine not required when traveling to some countries, and your example)

For policies like quarantine following travel does it make any sense to distinguish anyone whether they have had covid, had a vaccine, had both a vaccine and covid, or had neither a vaccine or covid? Aren’t all of the above equally capable of carrying and transmitting the virus?

Re: Man given genetically modified pig heart dies

#172

Post by throwaway290 » Thu, Mar 10, 2022, 3:24 AM UTC

throwawaycities wrote: post #171

throwaway290 wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funny how having had COVID opens doors (eg. quarantine not required when traveling to some countries, and your example), but at the same time people are punished for not preventing it (vaccination, PPE). Talk about mixed incentives...

> (eg. quarantine not required when traveling to some countries, and your example) For policies like quarantine following travel does it make any sense to distinguish anyone whether they have had covid, had a vaccine, had both a vaccine and covid, or had neither a vaccine or covid? Aren’t all of the above equally capable of carrying and transmitting the virus?

That's what I would think, but apparently Malaysia for example really wants people to have recovered from COVID specifically.

Re: Man given genetically modified pig heart dies

#173

Post by Fomite » Thu, Mar 10, 2022, 3:45 AM UTC

sonicggg wrote: post #123

majormajor wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are you so concerned about being able to observe it long-term when prior to this it had never even been able to be observed short term ? Do you think they should be doing this on a bunch of healthy people to "learn more"? Like you think there will be volunteers? Or do you think it's simply impossible and shouldn't have been done at all? Or are you just being contrary to be contrary?

Healthy people? Well, it's not like it's "raining organs" for people on a waiting list. Many of them will die waiting. There must be someone on a slight better shape and willing to take a chance.

Define "slightly better shape". Because that's now your inclusion criteria. You have to be sick enough that "Or this might not work and kill you" seems like an acceptable risk, but not as sick as the guy they chose by arbitrary and hidden metrics primarily based on looking at the outcome retrospectively.

Re: Man given genetically modified pig heart dies

#174

Post by justinator » Thu, Mar 10, 2022, 3:47 AM UTC

heyoni wrote: post #16

slowhand09 wrote: post #5

My friend was a member of the transplant team at Johns Hopkins. "They" said he was near multiple organ failure prior to the transplant. And he survived significantly longer than expected. Recovery under those circumstances was a very long shot already. Kudos to him for undergoing the procedure, and furthering the research. Condolences to he and his family.

Which is probably how they got approval to do a pig heart transplant in the first place since he would never get on the transplant list.

He also basically murdered someone via stabbing so kudos for giving his body to science, but there's a case that he should have spent his life in prison.

Re: Man given genetically modified pig heart dies

#175

Post by justinator » Thu, Mar 10, 2022, 4:06 AM UTC

justinator wrote: post #174

heyoni wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is probably how they got approval to do a pig heart transplant in the first place since he would never get on the transplant list.

He also basically murdered someone via stabbing so kudos for giving his body to science, but there's a case that he should have spent his life in prison.

He also lost a civil case, where the plaintiff was award 3.4 million in restitution, in which he paid $0 into.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/01/13/pig-heart...

Re: Man given genetically modified pig heart dies

#176

Post by s1artibartfast » Thu, Mar 10, 2022, 4:06 AM UTC

sonicggg wrote: post #105

momenti wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Heart transplant recipients survive 15 years on average: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_transplantation

To be honest, not sure why we spend so much resources on heart transplants. For the most part, the underlying condition that wrecked your old heart is probably still there. We should be putting more resources into preventative medicine.

Preventative medicine is well understood and widely available. People just aren't interested or unresponsive to treatment.

Re: Man given genetically modified pig heart dies

#177

Post by InitialLastName » Thu, Mar 10, 2022, 4:11 AM UTC

xeromal wrote: post #166

foota wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only 3,000? chuckles in American

You can go to quest diagnostics or labscorb and order yourself a test for under 200$ (no insurance needed) that would do an entire panel on you. I did this and then called a teledoc for like 40$ (copay) and had them go over hte results with me. It's pretty sweet.

> called a teledoc for like 40$ (copay)

So, more like $7400 annually [0], plus a $40 copay, discounting whatever other health care you needed in the year.

[0] https://www.kff.org/report-section/ehbs-2020-section-6-worke...

Re: Man given genetically modified pig heart dies

#178

Post by InitialLastName » Thu, Mar 10, 2022, 4:15 AM UTC

daniel-cussen wrote: post #48

rmellow wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US I presume? Canadians have a harder time... In Canada/Ontario, you have to convince your doctor to give you a cholesterol test, e.g. family history. It won't be done preventively [1]. Even if you manage to get tested, if you're under 40 the doctor won't care and there will be no followup. [1] https://exechealth.ca/ontario-drops-annual-physicals/

Meh. Might be an American thing, if you watch TV or news the images of persons will be constantly telling you to ask your doctor about this, consult a medical professional before this other activity they advertise, and oh you gotta see a dentist every six months. Just demand creation, better just to get a blood-pressure test when you do see a doctor and a cholesterol test based on the result.

To be fair, all the ad revenue for pharma products on American television networks whose parents happen to own a news network also do a great job of building leverage against the pharma companies ever being investigated too deeply.

Re: Man given genetically modified pig heart dies

#179

Post by TedShiller » Thu, Mar 10, 2022, 4:32 AM UTC

slowhand09 wrote: post #5

My friend was a member of the transplant team at Johns Hopkins. "They" said he was near multiple organ failure prior to the transplant. And he survived significantly longer than expected. Recovery under those circumstances was a very long shot already. Kudos to him for undergoing the procedure, and furthering the research. Condolences to he and his family.

isn't this supposed to be kept private by your friend under medical privacy laws?

Re: Man given genetically modified pig heart dies

#180

Post by kelnos » Thu, Mar 10, 2022, 4:48 AM UTC

bradly wrote: post #160

judge2020 wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought that hospitals specifically only put you on the list if you committed to a healthy lifestyle.

He says he is committed to and I assume he has good intentions. He isn’t drinking or smoking, but water intake, salt intake, and red meat have been more challenging for his willpower/discipline. Also, I have no idea if matters or not but he is wealthy (low eight digits) as well.

Honestly I can't find any fault here. Giving up the drinking and smoking has probably been monumentally difficult, and it's amazing that he's been able to do that. That alone tells me he is committed to getting healthier.

The diet stuff... honestly, nutrition "science" is full of contradictions. Sure, too much of anything is probably bad for you, but I don't think diet concerns should be a blocker for receiving a transplant.

At any rate, sorry you and your family has to go through this, and best wishes for your uncle's recovery.