ATLANTA — Piedmont Atlanta Hospital has successfully performed a rare joint liver-heart transplant, marking the first such operation in Georgia in a decade.
The complex procedure was carried out by surgeons from the Piedmont Transplant Institute and Piedmont Heart Institute, making it only the second time in Georgia’s history that such a transplant has been performed.
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, only 50 dual liver-heart transplants have been conducted in the southeastern U.S.
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“High-quality care for patients in both end-stage liver and heart failure must be multidisciplinary. Dual liver-heart transplantation is an important option for patients experiencing the failure of both organs,” said Dr. Jonathan Hundley, surgical director of the liver transplant program at Piedmont.
“Each one of these surgeries will be a highly coordinated effort between our two teams,” added Dr. Ezequiel Molina, surgical director of the heart transplant program at Piedmont. “From selecting patients who are good candidates through the operation and post-operative care, we will collaborate on every aspect to ensure the best outcomes for patients.”
Poor heart function can negatively impact the liver and vice versa, and certain conditions can damage both organs simultaneously. Transplant surgery for either organ requires the other to be strong enough to withstand major surgery, which is often not the case for this patient population.
Piedmont has offered liver transplants for 20 years and heart transplants for 13 years, becoming one of the busiest transplant centers in the country for standalone liver and heart transplantation. It ranks as a top 10 program by number of patients for liver transplants and top 5 for heart transplants.
It also offers combined kidney-heart, kidney-liver and kidney-pancreas transplants.
In the most recent fiscal year that ended in June, surgeons at Piedmont performed 33% more liver transplants than the previous year. The heart transplant program has seen significant growth, with a 500% increase in heart transplants between fiscal years 2022 and 2023, and a further 24% increase in the past fiscal year.
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