“We decided to try the last resort”: Israeli team performs world-first emergency mitral valve repair on heart-transplant patient in shock

Simon Fischler, 47, who underwent a heart transplant at age 14, arrived at Rabin Medical Center in acute cardiogenic shock with severe mitral valve leakage. Led by Prof. Leor Perl, the catheterization team performed an emergency transseptal mitral repair on the beating transplanted heart, stabilizing him within hours and enabling discharge within days. The unprecedented procedure highlights the evolving capabilities of structural heart intervention and the deep continuity of care for long-term transplant patients in Israel.