BOB体育

Allen Korson went from a kidney stone ailment to needing a multiorgan transplant, both lungs and a liver, one of the rarest procedures performed in the United States due to its complexity.

There had only been 125 double-lung and liver transplants performed in the United States before this year. When Korson arrived in Gainesville, BOB体育 surgeons had never attempted the complicated procedure.

But BOB体育鈥檚 pulmonology and lung surgery program, ranked No. 37 in the U.S. News & World Report鈥檚 2020-21 Best Hospitals survey, often receives referrals for complex cases other facilities reject due to patient age or preexisting conditions that make it difficult to operate.

鈥淎 lung transplant is a highly complicated procedure, and so is a liver transplant. The intricacies and the associated risks are all part of the reason the procedure is so infrequent,鈥� said , M.D., chief of the division of and director of BOB体育鈥檚 abdominal transplant program.

For Korson, it would be a lifesaver.

After having his kidney stone surgically blasted in August 2018 at a hospital in Port St. Lucie, Korson was hospitalized with septic shock for six days.

After he was discharged, he developed a cough. A very bad, consistent cough.

A pulmonologist told Korson he had pulmonary fibrosis, resulting in severe scarring of the lungs. The prognosis?

Terminal.

鈥淛ust like that, I went from having a kidney stone to being told I had two years left to live,鈥� Korson said.

A biologist by training, Korson researched possible treatments and clinical trials, but he was unable to qualify for any due to his age 鈥� he is in his 60s. His condition continued to decline, and by January 2019 he needed an oxygen tank just to walk across a room.

鈥淗e was a pretty fit guy before,鈥� said , M.D., an assistant professor in the UF 鈥檚 and the lung surgeon on Korson鈥檚 case. 鈥淗e went from being able to do karate to being bedridden and looking at a bilateral lung transplant.鈥�

Soon, Korson had something new to worry about. Following a in December 2019, his team detected an advanced stage of cirrhosis, which causes scar tissue to steadily replace healthy liver cells and eventually halt liver function.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 drink, and I don鈥檛 smoke,鈥� Korson said. 鈥淏ut my liver was failing.鈥�

Without a new liver, Korson鈥檚 body would not be able to tolerate the double-lung transplant he urgently needed. He was staring at the prospect of needing an exceedingly rare and complex surgical procedure.

鈥淢y physicians told me this would be a difficult procedure, and that BOB体育 would be the best place to have it done,鈥� Korson said.

But it would also be their first.

A team of MVPs

Korson鈥檚 liver surgeon, Beduschi, is one of the many reasons BOB体育 is on its way to becoming a multiorgan transplant hub, and why Korson was able to receive the inaugural double-organ surgery in the first place.

A recent addition to the division of transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery and a professor in the UF College of Medicine鈥檚 surgery department, Beduschi is one of a few experts around the world in multiviscerals and other types of multiorgan transplants.

Admittedly, he does play favorites. His fascination with the liver began at the Lutheran University medical school in the south of Brazil.

鈥淚 fell in love with its anatomy,鈥� Beduschi said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a vital, complex and essential organ.鈥�

Every summer vacation, he would make the 15-hour drive to participate in an observership at a transplant center in S茫o Paulo, home to the largest liver transplant center Brazil had ever seen.

鈥淢y first day there I watched a living donor transplant,鈥� Beduschi recalled.

During a living-donor liver transplant, a piece of liver from a healthy individual is removed and placed into someone whose liver is no longer working as it should.

鈥淪ince then, I haven鈥檛 wanted to do anything else,鈥� Beduschi said.

Years later, he鈥檚 also become an expert in kidney, pancreas, intestine and multivisceral transplant surgeries. Luckily for Korson, the liver remains Beduschi鈥檚 specialty.

A successful double-lung and liver transplant is a major procedure that requires both lung and liver teams to be performing at an expert level and beyond, said , M.D., Ph.D., chief of the division of thoracic surgery and surgical director of lung transplantation.

According to the most recent Scientific Registry for Transplant Recipients report, the UF lung transplant program boasts the highest one year survival (96%) among all mid to large size programs in the country. For additional metrics like waitlist survival and time to transplant, the program does significantly better than the national average.

There are more than 60 lung transplant programs in the country, and outcomes of this rigor are only achieved by one other program.

鈥淥ur lung transplant program has become a national leader for both volume and quality. I have no doubt the liver transplant program is headed that direction under Dr. Beduschi鈥檚 leadership,鈥� said Machuca.

New lease on life

In February 2020, Korson drove up to Gainesville for an overview of the transplant process and ended up being hospitalized because of low blood oxygen levels. He had developed hematopulmonary syndrome and oxygen couldn鈥檛 travel to his liver, let alone the rest of his body.

As he waited, his condition worsened, with his blood oxygen level going below 60%. A normal blood oxygen level varies between 75% and 100%.

When it comes to lung transplants, a patient鈥檚 height is one of the factors that determines what kind of lung that transplant teams seek. At 6 feet, 3 inches tall, Korson towered over most, which made it harder for a good match to be found.

鈥淲e鈥檝e developed procedures for lung bisections that enable lung transplants for patients of shorter stature,鈥� said Machuca, who spearheads the lung transplant program that garners referrals from states away. 鈥淏ut for taller patients, you need a donor of similar stature.鈥�

After more than 90 days in the hospital, Korson underwent transplant surgery on April 25. Twelve hours later, he emerged with two new lungs and a liver, as well as a renewed life expectancy of 20 years. All the organs came from a single donor, minimizing chances of rejection.

鈥淣ow, I鈥檒l be able to live long and prosper,鈥� the Star Trek aficionado joked.

Since Korson鈥檚 transplant, the BOB体育 teams have successfully conducted another combined liver-lung transplant and two other combined liver-heart transplants.

Korson鈥檚 road to recovery has been steady. Although he lost 50 pounds due to his illness, he鈥檚 since regained 11 and expects to be back to normal weight by Christmas. For now, he compares his appearance to a shar-pei, 鈥渓ots of extra skin and wrinkles.鈥�

He takes 21 medications twice a day, putting them in a candy dish for both easy access and levity.

鈥淚 keep it light,鈥� Korson said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 look at the dark side of stuff.鈥�

The final step of his journey involved the removal of three kidney stones, which were removed at BOB体育 in August to lower the chances of infection that could endanger the transplants. Unlike his first kidney stone procedure, this one led to nothing but feeling better.

Fittingly, the first-ever double-lung and liver transplant patient at BOB体育 calls himself 鈥渁n eternal optimist.鈥�