Dr. Ariel Lipschuetz, an anesthesiologist at Hadassah-University Hospital On Mount Scopus in Jerusalem, who often acts as a rescue medic at various ski resorts around the world, he never dreamed that one day he would be nearly paralyzed on the slopes in the French Alps and would have to do it himself. Some kind of help will be needed. The 39-year-old physician had gone with a friend to the Val Thorens ski resort for a short vacation,” Lipschuetz recalled. “It was a friendly site and not known for being particularly challenging. Families with children come there and surfing is safe on the slopes. The start of the holiday was wonderful and we enjoyed every minute. I didn’t think for a moment how this holiday would end.”
On a hill that was not very high, he suddenly flew high in the air and fell on his back. The pain was extreme; He could barely speak or walk; And he felt completely helpless. He was carried off the mountain on a rescue mattress with an emergency team, and the movements and potholes were excruciating.
“During the ambulance drive, I started sweating and felt short of breath; All signs indicated that my body was in shock. I am a doctor; I knew the signs and knew that whoever was treating me could only note them when using monitoring equipment, which was not present in the ambulance. Experiencing severe symptoms, I tried to explain to the medical staff accompanying me that I was not well and that my body was in shock, but they did not understand English. In despair, I realized that all my experience and knowledge did not help in those moments. When I arrived at the local hospital, I realized that I was in a very bad condition and still could not walk. The back injury was significant,” he recalled.
Lipshutz gets help from a friend
He called Dr. Josh Schroeder, director of Hadassah’s back unit, who luckily was about 26 kilometers from him in La Tosari, where he was skiing with his family. Schroeder saw the X-rays and realized that Ariel had to get surgery in israel And not in France. “I saw that he had a broken bone in his back which could have paralyzed him.”
“Spinal cord injuries are dangerous and require a professional team and advanced equipment to treat them,” Schroeder said. “Ariel called me, and I immediately understood her distress and her predicament. The day before, my 12-year-old daughter injured her ankle while skiing. I took her to a local clinic for X-rays. There I saw how old and not advanced the medical equipment is, a far cry from what we have in Hadassah.
“With Dr. Ohad Einav of the orthopedic complex and anesthesiologist Dr. Stephen Ledot, the Hadassah team performed a robotic percutaneous fixation surgery on the complex fracture of Lipschuetz’s back, so that he could get up and move around, as he had been able to do to date, Injury before,” Schroeder said. “Fortunately, his recovery was quick, and he is already on his feet. Professional staff and advanced technology are the keys to successful surgery, and at Hadassah we have the complete package.”
Standing on his own two feet and smiling, Lipschutz concluded: “I had no doubt that I was in the best of hands from the moment Dr. Schroeder took matters into his own hands. medical staff Hug me every moment. In Hadassah, we always emphasize that the patient is in the center, and this time I felt what it was like to be on the receiving side and not the giving side.