First Successful Heart-Liver-Kidney Triple Transplant Surgeries in New York

In an unprecedented achievement at Mount Sinai Hospital, a team of surgeons has performed the first-ever heart-liver-kidney triple organ transplants in New York State. These highly complex surgeries took place in January and March of 2025, with the first procedure marking a historic milestone as the first of its kind in the state. Both surgeries involved patients from Westchester County, who have since made remarkable recoveries and returned home.

Organ transplantation of this kind is exceedingly rare, with only 58 such procedures recorded nationwide since 1987 by the United Network for Organ Sharing. The two cases at Mount Sinai are among just four triple transplants conducted in the entire United States this year.

The January operation stands out as the first heart-liver-kidney transplant in New York, involving a 64-year-old man from Peekskill. Previously, he had received a heart transplant in 2002 due to sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disease affecting the heart muscle. After two decades of quality life post-transplant, he developed chronic rejection, leading to renal and liver decline. His condition worsened with severe heart failure and failing kidneys and liver, prompting emergency measures. He received ventricular assist devices to sustain him until a suitable donor was found, followed by a highly intricate 22-hour triple transplant procedure led by Dr. Anelechi Anyanwu and Dr. Sander Florman. The operation was a success, and he is now thriving, with improved activity levels and a return to community involvement.

The second case involved a 45-year-old man from Ossining, suffering from severe cardiomyopathy and subsequent organ failure. Initially, he was hospitalized with critical heart failure and was supported with artificial heart pumps as his liver also showed signs of decline. He underwent a triple transplant in March, with an impressive recovery timeline allowing him to go home less than a month later.

These successes highlight Mount Sinai’s expertise in advanced organ transplant procedures, demonstrating effective coordination among multidisciplinary teams. The hospital’s transplant program routinely performs a significant number of procedures across various organs, including liver, kidney, lung, pancreas, and intestine, with excellent outcomes noted in 2024.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-surgeons-heart-liver-kidney-transplants.html