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Patient Undergoes Nation's First Quad Organ Transplant
15 Jul
Summary
- 36-year-old received four organs, including a second lung transplant.
- She was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age 11.
- Doctors call the procedure complex, highlighting surgical skill.
Surgeons at Northwestern Memorial Hospital successfully performed the nation's first quadruple organ transplant on Elizabeth Wehrle, a 36-year-old Iowa woman. Wehrle was initially diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age 11 and had a previous double lung transplant in 2017. Earlier this year, complications from her condition led to critical illness and rejection of her transplanted lungs.
Wehrle traveled to Chicago in March for a life-saving procedure that included a second double-lung transplant, a liver transplant, and a kidney transplant. Dr. Ankit Bharat noted the extreme difficulty of retransplanting lungs due to prior scarring and distorted anatomy, further complicated by the addition of liver and kidney transplants. This case represented a rare challenge for transplant programs.
Following a four-month recovery period, Wehrle is now in good health, walking several miles daily. She expressed profound gratitude to her donors and the medical team, emphasizing the life-saving impact of organ donation. Wehrle is expected to return home to Iowa and reunite with her son soon.
