Doctors who have successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig heart into a human, claim cocaine may have aided in the process.
A Vice report states that the operation occurred at the beginning of the month at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Reports say operators utilized a solution that held a small amount of cocaine to keep the previous attempts have failed due to the donor’s organs not surviving the transportation from previous owners to the person getting the organ.
The operators dealt with the heart by using the solution, that also held adrenaline and cortisol which kept it functional for up to 24 hours.
The solution was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) before it was approved for usage.
Director of xenotransplantation Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, explained how cocaine was used in a mixture among hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, that keep the live tissue from spoiling during its long journey overseas to Maryland, but the proprietary solution raised flags with drug enforcement officials in the US, where cocaine has never before been used in this setting.
“The cocaine name pops out because everybody thinks, ’Oh my God, what is cocaine doing in here?’ ” Mohiuddin told the outlet.
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