Medical Advancement

Double-Lung Transplant on a Patient With ‘Flipped Organs’

Surgeons Think Outside the Box for Patients With Situs Inversus

Updated July 2024

Situs inversus is a rare genetic condition in which some of the organs in the chest and abdomen develop in a reversed or mirrored image way from what is considered to be their normal positions. Surgeons at Northwestern Medicine have successfully performed a double-lung transplant on a patient with this condition.

Our goal is to help as many patients as possible.

— Ankit Bharat, MD

A diagram showing the normal positions of the heart, lungs, liver, spleen and stomach versus the positions of those organs in someone with situs inversus.

On April 28, 2023, Yahaira Vega of Elgin, Illinois, received her transplant at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Innovation in the Operating Room

"Situs inversus is a rare condition that affects nearly 1 in every 10,000 people and is often linked with other issues, but most people can lead normal lives," says Catherine N. Myers, MD, pulmonologist with Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute. "It's even more rare for these individuals to develop a lung disease to the point that they need a lung transplant."

"When performing the surgery, it's an interesting dilemma because the inside of the body is essentially a mirror image of what it normally would be. So, when we take the old lungs out, we have to put new lungs in from a donor with 'normal organs.' This is more challenging, because the new lungs need to fit into a chest cavity that's a mirror image, so we had to come up with some technical modifications in order to do it," says Ankit Bharat, MD, chief of Thoracic Surgery and director of Canning Thoracic Institute.

Yahaira's Story

Along with situs inversus, 27-year-old Yahaira was born with another rare disorder called primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), which prevents the tiny, hairlike structures in the airway from removing germs and pollutants, causing excess mucus to build up. Several years ago, Yahaira's condition worsened, and she was listed for a double-lung transplant in April 2023. Nine days later, Yahaira received her new lungs.

"Before my transplant, I would get a large, 32-ounce cup and completely fill it with mucus in one day. I felt inadequate and hopeless. In many ways, I was like a baby again, sleeping all the time and unable to regulate anything going on in my body," explains Yahaira. "With my new lungs, I have so much energy, and I'm able to laugh again. I'm thankful for my donor, their family and my incredible transplant team. Because of them, I have my life back."

"I'm thrilled our team was able to help Yahaira," says Dr. Bharat. "Our goal is to help as many patients as possible reach their next birthday and beyond."

Patients interested in being evaluated for a lung transplant can contact the referral line at 844.639.5864 (TTY: 711).