NYU Langone Performs World's First HIV-to-HIV Lung Transplant

The patient, 56-year-old Bertrand Nelson, received both a new lung and a new liver on March 21, 2026. Nelson had been battling the long-term effects of sarcoidosis, a condition exacerbated by a severe bout of Legionnaires' disease in 2021 that left him reliant on supplemental oxygen for four years. Following the dual-organ procedure led by Dr. Stephanie H. Chang and Dr. Karim J. Halazun, Nelson is now breathing without assistance and regaining his physical mobility.

This operation marks a significant expansion of the 2013 HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act, which previously allowed for heart and abdominal organ transplants but had not yet reached lung transplantation. Dr. Sapna Mehta, clinical director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, described the achievement as a watershed moment for health equity. While the procedure remains restricted to specific research protocols, the success offers a new pathway for the 1.2 million Americans living with HIV to access critical care and improve long-term survival outcomes.