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Unprecedented Czech-Israeli cooperation saves lives: six-fold transplant connects patients in Prague and the Holy Land

Thanks to the excellent work of a team of surgeons at the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKEM) and their Israeli colleagues from Beilinson and Hadassah hospitals, the first organ exchange between the two countries took place. This international kidney pair exchange started a chain of six transplants that gave three Israeli and three Czech patients a new chance of life.

 

transplant

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Specifically, these patients have found a donor within their family, but the kidney could not be donated directly to them due to biological mismatch. Data of such pairs from the Czech Republic and Israel were tested in October on a specialized computer software and biological match was found among six of these pairs. This was followed by several months of preparation by medical teams on both sides.

This exchange marks an important milestone in the Czech-Israeli cooperation, as it is the first of its kind for both participating countries. For the Czech Republic this is the first international paired kidney exchange with a non-EU country, for Israel it is the first international exchange of a kidney ever. The Czech Embassy in Tel Aviv wishes all patients a speedy recovery.

Note: This unique form of cooperation was established by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between IKEM and the Israeli National Transplant Authority in August this year, with the Czech Embassy in Tel Aviv actively participating in the negotiations.