The Organ Transplantation Division

The Organ Transplantation Division at Schneider Children’s conducts the full range of organ transplants in infants, children and adolescents, and serves as a national pediatric transplantation center for pediatric transplantation. Organ transplantations are made possible through the courage of families, who in the darkest hour of the loss of a loved one, consent to donate the organs. Some transplants - kidney or liver lobe - emanate from living-related donors or an altruistic donation

Senior Physicians

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Dr. Michael Gurevich, Director of Liver Transplantation
Dr. Sigal Eisner, Director of Kidney Transplantation
Dr. Georg Frenkel, Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Dr. Gabi Amir, Director of Newborn Cardiac Surgery

 

Institute of Nephrology - Kidney Recipient Follow-Up

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Dr. Yael Borovich
Dr. Amit Dagan
Dr. Hadas Henri-Alfendri
Dr. Gilad Hamadni
Dr. Orli Heskin
Dr. Shelly Levy
Dr. Daniella Levy-Erez

Institute of Gastroenterology – Liver Recipient Follow-Up

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Dr. Michal Bar-Lev
Dr. Yael Mozer-Glazberg
Dr. Orit Waisbourd

Institute of Cardiology – Heart Recipient Follow-Up

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Dr. Merav Dvir Orgad
Dr. Amichai Rotstein
Dr. Nili Zucker

Transplant Coordinators

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Michal Shafir (liver recipients) [email protected]
Neomi Zanhandler (kidney recipients) [email protected]
Luciana Hershkowitz (heart recipients) [email protected]

 

Medical Services
The Organ Transplantation Division leads the field of pediatric organ transplants in Israel, and conducts the majority of organ transplantations in children including complex and rare operations. The hospital is the sole center performing liver transplantation and serves as the national referral center for pediatric kidney and liver transplants. Since the inception of the Division, hundreds of children have received a new lease on life following life-saving transplantation of heart, lungs, kidney, liver, pancreas and a rare case where a group of organs comprising small and large colon, liver, stomach and pancreas were collectively transplanted. The rate of success is very high, on a par with leading medical institutions in the world.

Children from all over the country with congenital disorders or complex diseases undergo life-saving organ transplantation at Schneider Children's. Multidisciplinary teams provide all-encompassing care to pediatric candidates for organ transplantation, and accompany the child and his parents through all stages of the complex transplantation process before, during and after surgery through to the prolonged follow-up care and the child's return to normal routine.

Schneider Children's is among the few pediatric centers in the world capable of conducting marathon transplantations - consecutive operations during which scores of team members perform life-saving surgeries within a short space of time due to organ donation. Since notification of these donations invariably arrive at short notice, much weight is placed upon the speed with which medical and administrative teams can mobilize in preparation of a series of organ transplantations.

The teams at Schneider Children's acknowledge the high importance of raising awareness of organ transplantation in the State of Israel, and actively promote this through ads in the media and social media, targeted campaigns and conferences.

Pre-Surgical Preparation
Prior to the surgery, candidates for organ transplantation undergo tests for suitability of a donor's organ including blood tests, heart and lung function tests, and imaging scans (ultrasound and CT). The living donor, in the event of a liver or kidney transplant, will undergo similar tests.

The Transplantation Process
Organ transplantations are conducted in the operating rooms at Schneider Children's, which are adapted to infants and children in terms of the medical equipment and technologies. In addition to the surgeons, the organ transplant team comprises anesthetists experienced in the application of anesthesia to children, surgical nurses, technicians and more. The operation ensues several hours in general according to each child's condition and the type of transplant. Parents receive ongoing updates from the surgical team throughout all stages of the procedure.

Post-Surgery
The first 48 hours after the operation are critical because the child's immune system is weakened as a result of the medications administered in the operating room. Thus the child is transferred to one of the intensive care units after surgery for between 24 hours to a few days. The patient's condition is closely monitored by the medical and nursing staff, technicians, and paramedical professionals who provide essential care and psychosocial support. Thereafter, the child is usually transferred for ongoing observation in the Department of Pediatrics "C", which specializes in the care of organ recipients both before and after kidney and liver transplants or the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department in the case of a heart or lung transplant.

Comprehensive Care
The treatment of an organ transplant recipient does not end with discharge from the hospital. Rather, the child will undergo periodic check-ups in the first months following the operation. This process will gradually recede precluding frequent visits to the hospital as the child returns to a normal life routine. The Division places great importance on the accompaniment and comprehensive care of both child and family throughout the transplant process. Medical attention is intertwined with support and guidance of the child's parents in order to ensure that family life will continue as normally as possible.

The Herman Tob Memorial Fellowship
The Herman Tob Memorial Fellowship for Pediatric Liver Transplantation supported the two-year advanced training of Dr. Michael Gurevich under the supervision of Prof. Raymond Reding, Head of the Pediatric and Transplant Unit at Saint-Luc University Hospital in Brussels. Dr. Gurevich serves as the Director of Schneider Children’s Pediatric Liver Transplantation Unit.