An IDF reserve officer who was critically wounded during a clash with terrorists in southern Lebanon underwent a rare, life-saving operation after doctors discovered a piece of shrapnel lodged just millimeters from his aorta.
Capt. Malachi Mondani, 26, a reserve platoon commander from Moshav Neveh in the Gaza border region, was seriously wounded in Thursday’s battle and rushed to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa with multiple penetrating injuries. After doctors stabilized his condition, scans revealed that a fragment had come to rest directly beside his aorta—the body’s main artery carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
Doctors faced a difficult decision. While Mondani’s extensive injuries made surgery extremely risky, leaving the shrapnel in place carried an equally grave danger, as even the slightest movement could have ruptured the aorta and proved fatal.
Following consultations among trauma, vascular, and cardiac surgery specialists, the medical team decided to operate. The delicate procedure was performed by Dr. Zvi Adler and Dr. Kamel Murshad, who successfully removed the fragment without complications.
Prof. Gil Bolotin, head of Rambam’s Department of Cardiac Surgery, said the shrapnel was in direct contact with the aorta and that any movement could have punctured the artery with catastrophic consequences. He noted that such cases are extremely rare and have been documented only a handful of times in medical literature. Following the successful surgery, Mondani’s condition stabilized and he remains under medical care.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
