Richard C. Lillehei (10 December 1927 - 1 April 1981) was an American transplant surgeon who performed the world's first successful simultaneous

pancreas-kidney transplant Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantati ...

in 1966 (sometimes quoted as 1967) and the first known human

intestinal transplantation Intestine transplantation (intestinal transplantation, or small bowel transplantation) is the surgical replacement of the small intestine for chronic and acute cases of intestinal failure. While intestinal failure can oftentimes be treated wi ...

. He came from a renowned medical family in Minneapolis; his father was a dentist and his brothers were cardiologist James Lillehei and cardiothoracic surgeon C. Walton Lillehei. The Lillehei Surgical Society is named in honour of the three brothers.

Early life and education

Richard Carlton Lillehei was the son of a dentist from Minneapolis and the younger brother of cardiothoracic surgeon C. Walton Lillehei and cardiologist James Lillehei. He completed his early education from West Side High School in

Edina, Minnesota Edina ( , ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous ci ...

and in 1948 graduated from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. After graduating in medicine in 1951 from the University's medical school, he spent two years at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and gained his PhD in Surgery from the University of Minnesota in 1960.

Pancreas transplantation

On 17 December 1966, Lillehei assisted William Kelly in transplanting part of a pancreas and a whole kidney into a 28-year-old woman with

type I diabetes Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic cells (beta cells). In healthy persons, beta cells produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone required ...

and

renal disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Inflammation can b ...

. Postoperative problems led to a decision to remove the graft, and she died soon after. On New Year's Eve 1966, Lillehei led the world's first successful simultaneous

. It involved transplanting the whole pancreas, accompanying

duodenum The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine in most vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In mammals, it may be the principal site for iron absorption. The duodenum precedes the jejunum and ileum and is the shortest p ...

and one kidney. The recipient survived four and a half months. By 1973, he had performed 13 pancreas transplants. His other fields of research included

shock Shock may refer to: Common uses Healthcare * Acute stress reaction, also known as psychological or mental shock ** Shell shock, soldiers' reaction to battle trauma * Circulatory shock, a medical emergency ** Cardiogenic shock, resulting from ...

treatment,

organ procurement Organ procurement (also called surgical recovery) is a surgical procedure that removes organs or tissues for reuse, typically for organ transplantation. Procedures If the organ donor is human, most countries require that the donor be legally d ...

, open-heart surgery and

kidney transplantation Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantat ...

Personal and family

Lillehei married B.J. (Elizabeth Jeanne) and they had four sons, Richard C., Ted, John and James.

Death and legacy

In 1986, the Lillehei Surgical Society was founded in the names of the three Lillehei brothers. Every two years an award is given to the most outstanding clinician in the field of pancreas transplantation.

References

American transplant surgeons 1981 deaths History of transplant surgery 1927 births 1966 in medicine 20th-century surgeons University of Minnesota alumni {{US-physician-stub