Combined Organ Transplant

Simultaneous multi-organ transplantation is preferred when the disease process has damaged more than one organ and transplanting one alone would be insufficient or unsafe. The classic example is simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant for Type 1 diabetics with end-stage renal disease — transplanting only the kidney without the pancreas would mean ongoing diabetes continues damaging the new kidney. Similarly, certain congenital heart diseases cause irreversible lung hypertension requiring both organs to be replaced together. Doing the transplants simultaneously also means one anesthetic event and a single immunological challenge, reducing cumulative risk.