A 37-year-old Israeli man died Saturday, less than two weeks after his brother and sister each donated lung sections to him in an attempt to save his life.
After getting Israel's first live-donor lung transplant, using a portion of his siblings' lower lungs, the unidentified man ultimately succumbed to failing health brought about by leukemia, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The advanced operation, of which there have been only 300 globally, took nine hours to complete and required the involvement of 30 medical personnel.
The Jerusalem resident's siblings were in good condition after the surgery and were released from the hospital last week.
The need for the multiple lung donations became necessary after a failed bone marrow donation to treat the man's leukemia significantly damaged his lungs.
The Post said he had suffered through numerous bouts of pulmonary insufficiency and insufficient cadaver donors were available to garner donations from.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
