A young Palestinian boy from the West Bank named Suleiman Hassan, airlifted to Hadassah Ein Kerem’s Trauma Unit, underwent successful surgery in early June to reattach his head to his neck after suffering a condition commonly known as internal decapitation in a horrific bicycle accident.
According to Dr. Ohad Einav, the orthopedic surgeon who led the large operating room team during the extremely rare surgery, Suleiman’s life was saved “thanks to our knowledge and the most innovative technology in the operating room.” He continued, “This is not a common surgery at all, and especially not on children and teens. A surgeon needs knowledge and experience to do this.” Fortunately, Dr. Einav had recently returned from a fellowship in Toronto, where he had performed this surgery on adults.
Showing no neurologic or motor deficiencies, Suleiman was recently discharged from the hospital and will continue to be monitored by the staff there.
Suleiman’s father, who had sat by his son’s bedside as he was recovering, told hospital staff, “I will thank you all my life for saving my dear only son. Bless you all. Thanks to you he regained his life even when the odds were low and the danger was obvious. What saved him were professionalism, technology, and quick decision-making by the trauma and orthopedics team. All I can say is a big thank you.”
Photo caption: Dr. Ohad Einav and Ziv Asa with 12-year-old Suleiman Hassan at Hadassah Medical Center following his recovery after surgery to reattach his head to his neck after he suffered internal decapitation in an accident.
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