Almost a year after the unprecedented in Greece, graft removal operation, simultaneously from two organ multi-donors, at the “Venizelio” Hospital of Heralkion, Crete, Transplant Teams from 3 Hospitals met again in Heraklion, today, on Epiphany Day, for the graft removals of a 27 y.o. donor, whose, after several days of hospitalization in the ICU of the hospital, the brain death was ascertained. Next to his family’s brave decision to give life through loss, the organ removal procedures began. The Organ Transplant Unit of G.H.A “Evangelismos” – led by Dr. Vasileios Drakopoulos, assisted by Vassilis Kalantzis and coordinated by Dimitrios Pistolas – traveled to Heraklion for the removal of the kidneys. The Transplant Team of G.H.T. “Ippokrateio” – led by surgeon Dimitris Filis, assisted by Konstantina Eleni Karakasi and coordinated by Katerina Tsakni – removed the liver, while the Team from Padova, Italy, Hospital removed the heart.
Heartfelt congratulations to the Intensive Care Unit of “Venizelio” Hospital, and in particular to Doctors Anestis Kioulpalis and Kosts Hahlioutis, for their excellent efforts, to our National Transplant Organization for their impeccable coordinations, but above all to the family of the donor for their magnanimous decision.
Today at dawn, the Transplant Teams left Crete, carrying the “Gifts of Life”, which will be transplanted within the day to their final recipients, concluding the “Life Bridge”
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