A 58-year-old Singaporean pastor is recovering well after undergoing Asia's first simultaneous heart and liver transplant, his medical team said Friday. The 13-hour surgery, which took place two weeks ago at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), was needed to treat a rare genetic condition affecting Lau Chin Kwee, the doctors told a news conference.
"Things are looking good. He is doing as well as he can be," said Tan Chee Kiat, director of the liver transplant programme at the state-run hospital. Lau suffers from a condition known as familial amyloid polyneuropathy, in which a gene mutation causes the liver to produce abnormal proteins that affect the nerves. Eventually, the liver will no longer function properly.
Tests showed the pastor's heart had also been affected by the condition, doctors said. Data available world-wide showed 1,441 liver transplants have been carried out to treat the disorder, with more than half of these in Portugal and France, they said.