Israeli Team Transplants Donor Heart from Cyprus Within 26 Hours, Saving Life

A young donor's heart from Cyprus was successfully transplanted into a 45-year-old Israeli woman after a complex, cross-border medical operation completed within 26 hours. The process began with a phone call at 10:30 a.m. from Cypriot transplant coordinators informing Israel's National Transplant Center of the available heart from a young woman who died in a car accident.

Following the call, Israeli medical teams quickly evaluated the heart's compatibility and identified a suitable recipient who had been waiting for about two years. The operation faced logistical challenges, including difficulty finding an appropriate ambulance plane during the peak summer holiday season. After two planes were deemed unfit, a larger aircraft was secured with emergency budget approval, facilitated by the Ministry of Health's procurement department.

Coordination efforts involved the handling company Loeper, customs agent Yerushalmi, and multiple teams working across borders to ensure smooth transport and clearance. Four transplant teams operated simultaneously in Nicosia: Israeli heart specialists from Beilinson Hospital, Greek lung and liver teams, and Cypriot kidney specialists. After the heart was harvested, a helicopter transferred the Israeli team directly to Larnaca airport, enabling the heart to arrive in Israel by 8:23 a.m. and the transplant to conclude successfully just before noon on Friday.

Dr. Tamar Ashkenazi, head of the National Transplant Center, emphasized the critical importance of rapid, coordinated decisions and praised the longstanding professional and personal collaboration between Israeli and Cypriot teams. The operation highlights the complexity and urgency of organ transplantation across borders, with every hour being vital to saving lives.