Monica McFarlan, who was diagnosed with congestive heart failure at 37, became the first patient in Georgia to undergo a dual organ transplant procedure known as HALT—heart-after-liver transplant—at Emory University Hospital. Over the past 15 years, McFarlan lived with two left ventricular assist devices and endured both a heart attack and a stroke. She recounted being told by another hospital to prepare for the end of her life.
“That was hard. I gathered my family and all my close friends and said my goodbyes,” McFarlan said.
Despite these challenges, she sought alternative solutions and discovered the HALT procedure now offered at Emory University Hospital. According to Dr. Victor Pretorius, cardiothoracic surgeon at Emory Healthcare, “Monica was highly sensitized. She developed antibodies which meant that almost every donor for a new heart would be rejected. The HALT was the best option for a chance at survival.”
The HALT procedure involves replacing the patient’s liver with one from a donor before performing a heart transplant using an organ from the same donor in one surgical session. The new liver helps absorb sensitized antibodies that might otherwise cause rejection of the new heart.
“The liver in and of itself plays a central role in immunological reactions. It provides you with a significant amount of protection against acute rejection and hopefully against the potential for chronic rejection,” said Dr. Marwan Kazimi, liver transplant surgeon at Emory Healthcare.
McFarlan hopes her experience will help others facing similar medical challenges.
