Record of 35 organs transplanted into 27 people this week
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH  | Jerusalem Post

Israel Transplant matched donor organs, which were rushed on ice to the transplant centers where the surgical teams were ready.

A record number of 35 lifesaving organs were transplanted into 27 patients in the past week, according to Israel Transplant – which noted that the number of organs donated during such a short time is unprecedented.

Surgeons at Emek Medical Center in Afula; Rambam Medical Center in Haifa; RabinMedical Center-Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva; Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikva; Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center; Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem; Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer; Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba; and Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot worked around the clock to remove the organs from deceased donors and transplant them into patients.

Also contributing to the effort were hospitals’ blood banks, intensive-care units, imaging centers, pathology and tissue-typing labs, cardiac departments, catheterization labs and managements.

After Israel Transplant matched the donor organs, they were rushed on ice to the transplant centers where the surgical teams were ready.

Seventy percent of all organ transplants are done at Beilinson.

Four heart transplants were performed at Rabin, Schneider and Sheba; seven lung operations (some with two lobes, and some with one) were carried out at Beilinson; five livers were transplanted at Beilinson and Sourasky; an entire liver, liver lobe and kidney were transplanted at Schneider; kidney and pancreas transplants were performed at Hadassah University Medical Center and at Beilinson; and kidneys were transplanted at Rambam, Beilinson, Sourasky and Schneider.

Of all the organs, five were given to children and teenagers.

On Friday, a first-ever day to collect new potential organ donors via the ADI Organ Donors Organization and Israel Transplant (as well as a blood drive for Magen David Adom), will be held around the country, with help from students at the four medicalschools. Please call *6262 for more information.