Rare Heart-Liver-Kidney Transplant at University of Chicago

A 40-year-old Illinois man suffering from a rare genetic defect has become only the fourth U.S. patient in history to have a simultaneous heart-liver-kidney transplant.

Michael Gaynor of Niles, IL, was reported doing well and hoping to go home later this week after having the 17-hour surgery on May 21 at the University of Chicago Hospital.

Finding the organs for Gaynor was a major challenge since all three had to come from the same donor to reduce the chances of rejection. Gaynor suffered from a defect called glycogen storage disease, which gradually damages the liver and other vital organs, including the heart.

The first patient to undergo a heart-liver-kidney transplant died about four months after the procedure at the University of Pittsburgh in 1989. The other two heart-liver-kidney transplants also took place at the University of Chicago, with one of the men, Kent Slater, 69, of Michigan still alive five years after the surgery.

Other Sources: Sun-Times