Patient Endures LI's 1st Triple-Organ Transplant

MANHASSET, NY — It was a first-of-its-kind surgery on Long Island, when a Queens man had a successful triple-organ transplant at North Shore University Hospital.

It took 14 hours with 13 surgeons working in three shifts, along with two different operating room nursing teams to provide the new lease on life.

Sergio Arias Cestoni, 47, was admitted to the hospital in November after cardiology visit revealed that his heart was straining to circulate blood throughout his body.

Cestoni was already on the heart and kidney transplant waiting lists for two years, began to see his liver function erode from the impact of cirrhosis. Doctors also attributed it to his heart issues combined with diabetes, Northwell Health said.

Over 14 grueling hours at specialty-built Petrocelli Surgical Pavilion, 13 surgeons working in three shifts, along with two different OR nursing teams – cardiac for the heart and abdominal for the liver and kidney – delivered on that medical miracle.

With the organs beginning to fail, Cestoni wondered if he'd ever leave the hospital.

“When they told me there was no other option except transplant — I admit that I lost hope.”

However, a miraculous second chance came when a deceased donor matched — appropriate in size, age and function — so a complex surgery involving dozens of medical staff both inside the operating room (OR) and beyond was put into motion on February 8.

Dr. Deane Smith oversaw the heart transplant, followed by Dr. Nabil Dagher and his liver team and then Dr. Ahmed Fahmy transplanted the kidney.

“The advantage for us is that we function as a Transplant Institute. We’re prepared for this. We know what we need to do and have talked about it ahead of time. Once the transplant is ready to happen, we’ve already done it in our heads," Smith said.

Fewer than 60 triple transplant surgeries have been performed in the U.S. since 1987.