More than 40,000 people will receive an organ transplant this year. Almost 3,000 will get a second chance at life by receiving a donor lung. COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, and cystic fibrosis are just a few of the reasons someone may need a lung transplant, or even two. And now, doctors are able to help people born with a rare condition called mirrored lungs.
Yahaira Vega was born with a rare disorder that prevents the tiny hairlike structures in her airway from removing germs and pollutants.
“You know that large drink size from McDonald’s, you know, dollar cokes? I could fill one of those with phlegm in a day,” she says.
On top of that, Yahaira’s organs in her chest and abdomen were reversed.
Ankit Bharat, MD, Thoracic surgeon at Northwestern Medicine says, “So, your heart is typically on the left side, but now it’s on the right side. The right lung is on the left side, but the left lung is on the right side.”
Dennis Deer was also born with this rare genetic condition called situs inversus.
“I was getting progressively worse to the point where I couldn’t even walk 10 steps without gasping for air,” Dennis recalls.
Both Dennis and Yahaira were the first two patients at Northwestern Medicine to receive double-lung transplants for situs inversus.
“When we take the old lungs out, now you have to put the normal lungs, from a normal person that’s donating the organs, to fit into the cavity that’s the mirror image,” explains Dr. Bharat.
When Dennis woke up from surgery, he knew it worked.
“Incredible. I’m still mesmerized by it,” he tells Ivanhoe.
And now, both Dennis and Yahaira are back to living their normal lives. Situs inversus affects nearly one in every 10,000 people. Often, patients may not even know they have the condition until seeking health care for unrelated conditions.
