Photo: Yahaira Vega via ABC News
Two Illinois, U.S. patients have successfully undergone double-lung transplants after being born with "flipped organs." While most people don't realize they have the condition and lead normal lives, it can be associated with other complications as with Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer, 50, and Yahaira Vega, 27. Vega also was born with primary ciliary dyskinesia, which causes mucus build up. She underwent the operation at Northwestern Memorial on April 28. Deer also had muscle inflammation, which led to interstitial lung disease and scarring of the lungs that required a double lung transplant. Lung transplants are even more challenging in patients with situs inversus because the inside of the body is a mirror image of normal, says Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery. When Vega and Deer met one another for the first time recently, they talked about how their lives had changed. Vega is looking forward to having a boisterous laugh for the first time ever.
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