Beilinson Hospital performed a rare and complex intestinal transplant recently - the third of its kind in Israel. The transplant was carried out on Daniel Chaim Biton, 36, from Hod Hasharon, who suffered for 17 years from a non-functioning digestive system and was nourished via a central venous infusion (TPN).
The transplant was made possible by organ donation from six-year-old Ariel, who died from complications of influenza. His parents chose to donate his organs and save lives. The operation lasted about seven hours and was performed by Dr. Evyatar Nesher, director of the transplant unit at Beilinson, and Dr. Aviad Garvitz, a senior surgeon in the department.
Biton, a trained chef, described the transplant as a second chance at life, "I lost the ability to really eat - I couldn't taste, I didn't feel full. The transplant will restore the human sensation of eating like everyone else. It's like being born again," he said. He added that his dream is "to return to cooking, to travel the world without medical devices, to be a father, to open my own place and, above all, to feel truly full again."
The intestinal transplant operation also involved Dr. Vladimir Tank, deputy director of the transplant department, and Dr. Fahim Kna'ani. The decision to perform the transplant was made by Dr. Marius Brown, director of the liver institute at Beilinson, who has followed Biton for many years, together with the clinic team for chronic intestinal failure, transplant coordinator Sigal Cohen, and Prof. Solomon Shtamer.
Dr. Evyatar Nesher, who performed the transplant, noted, "This is one of the most complex and rare transplants, requiring precise coordination among many teams and high surgical skills. Daniel, whom I have accompanied for 17 years, is a real fighter - his coping moved us all," he said.
Beilinson is the only medical center in Israel where three intestinal transplants have been performed to date, and each one represented a first-of-its-kind medical challenge.