Three new hearts and three lives saved in 36 hours
In the world of organ transplants, timing is critical. Surgeons and care teams sometimes only have hours to transport and transplant donor organs for patients who are critically ill. But occasionally, that timing works out perfectly – thanks in large part to dedication and flexibility.
Marti Swearingen was one of three people to receive a heart transplant within 36 hours at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center in November. Today, she’s back home with family and looking forward to many years to come with her children and grandchildren.
One patient scheduled for surgery – then two other calls come in.
Swearingen had experienced unusual headaches for a year. After an especially severe headache, her doctor took a closer look at Swearingen’s heart and found three blocked arteries. She was diagnosed with heart failure and airlifted from her home in South Dakota to M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis.
A heart transplant was Swearingen’s best option – and every day she went without a heart lessened her chances of survival. When a matching heart became available a week after she was placed on the heart transplant waiting list, the transplant team leapt into action to retrieve the heart and prepare her for surgery.
“My daughter had just gone back to her hotel room for the night when they told me they’d found a match,” said Swearingen. “I broke down in tears and called her right away to let her know.”
Swearingen was scheduled for surgery the next day.
Then two other calls came in – there were matching hearts available for two other critically ill patients. This would mean three back-to-back surgeries, and three lives saved.
The transplant team came together to fly all three hearts to Minneapolis and transplant them within the span of 36 hours from Nov. 4 to 5.
All hands on deck to help with second, third transplants.
M Health Fairview Cardiothoracic Surgeon Ryan Knoper, MD, was involved with the first two transplants.
He went into the operating room with Swearingen at 11 p.m. on Nov. 4 and finished the surgery around 6:30 a.m. on Nov. 5. He slept that morning to recharge before starting on the second transplant – but he knew there was no way he’d be able to do a third surgery that same day.
“A lot of people who weren’t on call came in to help make this happen – from surgical staff to transplant coordinators to the fellows who went out to get the organs,” said Knoper. “I’m proud of our team for their dedication. If it weren’t for that, we wouldn’t have been able to do all three transplants.”
If a hospital is unable to come and get a donor heart within a certain timeframe, the organ is offered to another candidate in a different facility. The patient it was originally offered to is put back on the waiting list, where it could be weeks or even months before they get another match, if ever.
M Health Fairview typically performs between 25 and 30 adult heart transplants a year.
“It’s rare for us to do three transplants in such a short amount of time. We’ve never had to turn down a heart before due to team availability – but it’s always a possibility for hospitals, because of coordination,” said M Health Fairview Cardiovascular Surgeon Ranjit John, MD, who stepped in to help perform the third transplant on Nov. 5.
“We never want to turn down a good heart, because it is uncertain when another suitable organ may become available,” he added. “The risk of death increases each day while waiting.”
All three patients survived and were discharged from the hospital later that month.
“With transplant, you can really get back to a ‘new normal.’”
While Swearingen still comes to Minneapolis for testing on a regular basis, she’s back home in South Dakota and spent Christmas with her family.
“Marti’s transplant went great,” said M Health Fairview Cardiologist Tamas Alexy, MD, who has worked with Swearingen since her admission. “Her heart is functioning very well.”
Without transplant, she would have needed continued life support at the hospital or a more durable heart pump to keep her blood flowing. She could have gone home with a left ventricular assist device, but she wouldn’t have been able to resume some activities like swimming, and her life expectancy would be lower compared to transplant.
“Heart transplant recipients are now living 13 to 14 years after transplant on average,” said Alexy. “Both transplant and a durable heart pump are high-risk procedures – it’s the last resort for most patients with end stage heart disease. But with transplant, you can really get back to a ‘new normal.’”
