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BRENDON'S PICTURE


Bryon is back left.






PITTSBURGH (AP) - A 3-year old Florida boy has become the first child to get new heart, both lungs and a liver in a marathon transplant operation, doctors said Friday.

Brendon Ednie of Daytona Beach, Fla, was in good condition and was expected to move to a rehabilitation center within two weeks, Dr. Jorge Reyes said.

"He's on the road to recovery," Reyes said."We're hopeful that he will gradually become independent of all support and live a normal life.

The 20-hour procedure, which has been performed on a handful of adults, was the first involving the heart, lungs and a liver in a child.

Brendon, who had waited for more than 10 months for the organs, was born with Alagille Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that has only been diagnosed in about 100 people worldwide.

The syndrome is characterized by a fewer-than-normal number of small bile ducts in the liver and heart (personally, I did not know that there were bile ducts in the heart! lol..shreela), as well as kidney and eye problems. Brendon also was born without a pulmonary artery, the blood vessel that connects the heart to the lungs.

"He was complex from the moment he was born," said Brendon's father, Bryon Ednie. "It does kind of turn your life around..."

The United Network for Organ Sharing said a transplant involving the heart, lungs, and liver has been done only once in the United States, on an adult in 1996. A spokesman did not know what happened to that patient.



Boy Gets New Heart, Liver, Lungs

By NIKI KAPSAMBELIS

Associated Press Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — For the first time, doctors have transplanted a new heart, both lungs and a liver in a child in a groundbreaking operation. While a handful of adults have undergone the 20-hour procedure, doctors Friday said 3-year-old Brendon Ednie was the first child to ever benefit from the operation.

``He´s on the road to recovery,´´ said Dr. Jorge Reyes, one of the transplant surgeons. ``We´re hopeful that he will gradually become independent of all support and live a normal life.´´

The surgery was performed at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Aug. 21-22 but was not announced until Friday because doctors wanted to make sure that Brendon, of Daytona Beach, Fla., had a good chance for survival.

A photograph released by the hospital showed a small, chubby-cheeked boy with a slight smile on his lips and a Teletubbies doll in his hands. He was in good condition and was expected to move to a rehabilitation center within two weeks, said Reyes. Brendon, who had waited more than 10 months for the organs, was born with Alagille Syndrome — a rare genetic disorder that has only been diagnosed in about 100 people worldwide.

The syndrome is characterized by a less-than-normal number of small bile ducts in the liver and heart, as well as kidney and eye problems. Brendon was also born without a pulmonary artery, the blood vessel that connects the heart to the lungs.

``He was complex from the moment he was born,´´ said Brendon´s father, Bryon Ednie. ``It does kind of turn your life around and stuff.´´

The boy is breathing with supplemental oxygen and a device that helps maintain the proper air pressure in his lungs. He has been learning to walk and has been developing a vocabulary with the help of a speech therapist, his father said.

Reyes said he expected Brendon's growth and development to improve if his body continues to accept the transplanted organs.

``They come in here (as) funny-looking kids,´´ Reyes said. ``They grow up to be beautiful, beautiful people.

The United Network for Organ Sharing said a transplant involving the heart, lungs and liver has been done only once in the United States, on an adult in 1996. A spokesman did not know what happened to that patient.

Davina Thompson was the world's first recipient of a similar operation in London in 1986. Thompson died in August at age 47.