A young man diagnosed with severe heart failure and severe pulmonary hypertension spent 35 days with two hearts after undergoing a transplant technique developed by Brazilian surgeon Fábio Gaiotto. The procedure was carried out at Einstein Hospital Israelita, in São Paulo, and is the second case of application of the technique in the world.
Marcelo, a history student, was diagnosed three years ago, when he was just 17 years old. At the time, the severity of the condition indicated the need for a heart and lung transplant.
The possibility of performing a different procedure arose with the technique developed by Gaiotto, which makes it possible to treat pulmonary hypertension and replace the diseased heart without the need to also transplant the lungs.
How the surgery works
In the technique, a donor's heart is connected to the patient's heart, allowing both to function simultaneously.
Over time, lung pressure decreases. When the lungs improve, the diseased heart is removed, leaving only the transplanted organ.
According to surgeon Fábio Gaiotto, the technique uses a different connection between the organs to allow the lungs to recover.
The first procedure was carried out in 2021, on urban planner Lincoln, who was 54 years old at the time. He spent 45 days with two hearts and, according to the report, is fully recovered.
Surgery and recovery
In March 2026, Marcelo arrived by helicopter at Einstein Hospital Israelita, in São Paulo, and was immediately taken to surgery.
The young man remained with both hearts for 35 days. During this period, the transplanted heart suffered two arrests, and Marcelo needed to be intubated.
After waking up, he faced a long recovery due to muscle loss. The process included physiotherapy sessions to regain movement, the ability to stand and the autonomy to carry out daily activities.
Throughout his hospitalization, Marcelo began to walk with assistance, play the piano, dance and perform simple tasks, such as shaving himself.
The treatment was carried out through the Support Program for the Institutional Development of the Unified Health System (Proadi-SUS), which allows the use of Einstein's structure and technology to care for SUS patients.
Fantástico promotes the meeting of the only two patients who have undergone the technique that uses two simultaneous hearts.
Meeting between the two patients
Fantástico followed a meeting between Marcelo and Lincoln, the two patients undergoing the technique developed by Gaiotto.
During the conversation, Marcelo said that Lincoln's experience was fundamental for him to accept the surgery.
"I wanted to tell you that you were a boost, like, you were the driving force for me to be able to accept the transplant, to accept this new method, right?", said Marcelo.
Lincoln also highlighted the experience shared by the two.
"I think there are only two people in the world who can understand. Just you and me, right?", he said.
Surgeon Fábio Gaiotto participated in the meeting and highlighted the joint work of doctors, physiotherapists, nurses and other professionals involved in the procedures.
Technique still needs to be validated
Despite the positive results in the first two patients, the technique is still in the scientific evaluation phase.
Doctor Fábio Gaiotto intends to perform the procedure on four more patients to gather data and validate the method developed. According to the surgeon, the continuity of the technique will depend on the results obtained over the six cases foreseen in the protocol.
