Pillars of Excellence
Organ Transplantation
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Rabin Medical Center Medalists from 2002 Heart and Lung Transplant Olympics in Austria. |
Rabin Medical Center is the leading hospital in organ transplantation in Israel. Organ transplantation is a life-saving procedure that often serves as the last line of treatment in a long list of therapies that have failed. Often times, patients tolerate alternatives, such as undergoing dialysis or receiving an artificial heart. But these techniques are not meant to be cures and are often fraught with uncertainty and inconvenience. Only the absorption of a new organ can give long-lasting hope for recovery.
The dedicated Department of Organ Transplantation, under the direction of Prof. Eytan Mor, conducts 60 percent of all transplants in the country, and 100 percent of lung transplants. The Heart and Lung Transplantation Unit, headed by Dr. Gideon Sahar, conducts a significant number of chest organ transplantations. To date it has performed 92 heart transplant operations, 120 lung transplants, and 10 heart and lung transplantations. This center is approaching 40 transplantations per year and is capable of simultaneously performing three transplantations at the same time as well as domino operations.
Organ transplantation is complicated and requires precise coordination between staff, departments, patients, and donor families. Many a weekend is transformed into an organ transplantation marathon. During one weekend alone, 11 organ transplants were performed within a 36-hour period, including two hearts, three lungs, two livers, and four kidneys. Over 100 staff were involved in this major transplantation operation.
The department is the only one in Israel that performs multi-organ transplants and live donor liver transplantations, putting it on level with a select number of hospitals worldwide. And, of course, support groups are in place to comfort patients and their families.
American Friends of Rabin Medical Center :: 636 Broadway, Suite 218 :: New York, NY 10012 :: (tel) 212.279.2522 :: (fax) 212.279.0179 :: afrmc@afrmc.org