WORLD NEWS – BRAZIL: Luiz Perilo, 35, was selected after four years on the waiting list to undergo a rare multivisceral transplant that will replace stomach, pancreas, liver, intestine and a kidney all from the same donor. The operation is slated as an exceptionally long and complex transplant surgery, with the single donor strategy chosen to reduce the risk of rejection and maximize the patient’s chances.
Luiz’s medical history reads like a catalogue of hardship. He endured hospitalizations lasting more than two years and at one point weighed 34 kilograms. A diagnosis of thrombophilia at age 20 led to progressive organ compromise and ultimately the need for this multivisceral transplantation. His family regards the selection as nothing short of a miracle.
The timing of Luiz’s opportunity is tied to a recent change in public health policy. In February the Ministry of Health formally incorporated multivisceral transplant procedures into the Sistema Único de Saúde protocol, securing dedicated budget lines and encouraging the certification of new transplant centers. Today five hospitals in Brazil perform these procedures, four in São Paulo and one in Rio Grande do Sul, expanding access and hope for other patients.
Luiz will be among the first beneficiaries of this new policy. Six other patients remain on Brazil’s multivisceral transplant waiting list. Medical teams, health officials and family members are preparing for a marathon surgical effort that could transform a life after years of suffering. The medical community and the public health system are being praised for turning policy into action, and clinicians are standing ready to report on the outcome once the transplant is complete.
Clinicians emphasized the technical challenge and the potential for reduced rejection when multiple organs come from a single donor, and patient’s family, transplant coordinators and hospital staff shared cautious optimism as the country watches.
