Adriana Rodriguez’s heart ruptured just weeks after giving birth to her daughter. Her heart failure became more severe and her body developed many preformed antibodies, making her a highly sensitized patient and putting her at significant risk of organ rejection. Doctors at UW Medicine in Seattle suggested a double heart and liver transplant—the first time this procedure was attempted in the U.S. The surgery was successful and illuminated the possibilities of future heart transplant science despite the many unknowns about the procedure.
Rodriguez’s heart failure was caused by a severe rupture in her heart that occurred during or after her pregnancy, a condition that is rare but not unheard of. Her transplantation team had to come up with a unique solution due to Rodriguez’s complex case. Dr. Shin Lin discovered the possibility of a heart-after-liver transplant while doing some reading and research, and a falling domino effect idea came to mind. Surgeons transplanted a new liver from a donor, which absorbs antibodies that could attack the new heart before transplanting the new heart into Rodriguez. This method of transplant had not been widely tested before and was not known whether it would work in Rodriguez’s case, making it a high-risk surgery.
The surgery took 17 hours and was successful, with Rodriguez’s heart pumping optimally and her liver functioning normally. The doctors involved in the surgery say there are still many unknowns about the double transplant, but the experience illuminated the possibilities for future heart transplant science. The procedure hadn’t been tested before in someone as sick as Rodriguez and faced many obstacles ranging from limited research to expensive medications. Despite these obstacles, Rodriguez’s two surgeons, Dr. Shin Lin and Dr. Jay Pal, successfully advocated for the surgery due to limited other options available for Rodriguez.
