07/08/2025
In a first for NewYork-Presbyterian, a multidisciplinary team at performed a triple organ transplant involving a heart, lungs, and liver — a rare procedure that saved the life of 50-year-old patient Nadine Davis.
Nadine had been living with pulmonary arterial hypertension since 2012 when she turned to cardiologist Dr. Jennifer Haythe, director of the adult pulmonary hypertension program at , for care. Nadine’s condition eventually progressed to end-stage lung and end-stage heart disease, which caused advanced liver disease.
“We had never done a triple organ transplant here at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia that involved a heart,” says Dr. Haythe, recalling the moment she realized this complex surgery was the only way to save Nadine’s life.
“Very few triple organ transplants have been done in the country, as well as in the world,” said Dr. Tomoaki Kato, chief of the Division of Abdominal Organ Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery at . “It has to be a perfect heart, perfect lung, and perfect liver to make this happen,” he says.
Nadine was admitted to await transplant in March 2024. And when the opportunity for transplant became available in April 2024, Nadine had complete trust in her care team: “Going into surgery, I did not have any fear,” she says.
The heart and lungs were transplanted first by Dr. Koji Takeda, surgical director for adult heart transplant, and Dr. Philippe Lemaitre, surgical director of the lung transplant program, followed by the liver, led by Dr. Kato.
The surgery lasted 14 hours. “All together, the procedure went really flawlessly,” Dr. Kato says.
“This is a massive team effort. It’s like an orchestra, and when it works, it’s beautiful,” says Dr. Haythe.
Learn more about Nadine’s story and this important advance in transplant care at : https://nyphosp.co/3GETZHg.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medicine