Rashid Hospital doctors perform three highly complicated heart procedures to save the life of an 82-year-old

The patient was found to suffer from severe aortic stenosis as well as narrowing in the main coronary arteries as well as the left carotid artery, a major artery that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the brain

Dubai, UAE: Rashid Hospital doctors succeeded in saving the life of an 82-year-old who suffered from a heart attack and heart failure.

The patient was immediately transferred to Rashid Hospital after feeling a sharp pain in his chest and had trouble breathing at Dubai Airport while transiting from the UK to Nigeria

Dr Fahd Baslaib, interventional cardiologist and CEO of Rashid Hospital said that further tests including an echo test found that the patient was suffering from aortic stenosis, which is one of the most serious valve disease problems. Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve opening, restricting the blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body.

“We informed the patient that he had to replace the aortic valve using angiography, which is a minimally invasive, endovascular procedure to implant a new valve or to replace the diseased aortic valve. But the patient opted to go back to the UK and to get the surgery done there. So we stabilized him and he travelled to the UK,” said Dr Baslaib.

Two months later the patient came back to Rashid hospital, where he informed the cardiology team that he wants to get the procedure done with them.

“I want to do the procedure in Rashid Hospital because I was happy with the medical care I received and during the consultations I had in the UK, I felt that I am more comfortable here,” said W.A. who added that upon researching, he found that the hospital was a centre of excellence for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI).

The patient was readmitted to Rashid hospital, where his case was further studied before performing the complex procedure.

“The UK report stated that the patient’s main arteries were in good condition but the echo test showed that he in fact had severe stenosis, not only in his main coronary arteries, but also his left carotid artery, which is one of two major arteries that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the brain,” said Dr Baslaib.

With this new finding Rashid Hospital doctors advised the patient that an open-heart surgery was needed and that an angiography was too risky, however the patient refused, insisting that he wanted all three issues resolved through the minimally invasive angiography procedure.

Dr Baslaib said that due to the high complexity of the case, the patient was treated in three phases.

“I led the heart team in performing an angioplasty and stenting of the major coronary arteries to widen the obstructed arteries including the left main artery with three stents to decrease their chances of narrowing again.  After four days, Dr Ayman Al Sibaei, interventional radiologist at Rashid Hospital and his team performed an angioplasty and stenting of the left carotid artery,” said Dr Baslaib

After five days, Dr Baslaib and Jasim Al Hashimi, head of cardiology at Dubai Hospital led the TAVI team, which consists of doctors from both Rashid and Dubai Hospitals a perform a TAVI procedure (the cardiac surgery and vascular surgery teams were on standby).

Dr Baslaib explained that TAVI, which is short for transcatheter aortic valve implantation, is a procedure that allows an aortic valve to be implanted using a long narrow tube called a catheter.

Dr Baslaib said that all three procedures were successful and that the patient was discharged in good health.

The 82-year-old is back to Nigeria with his family, where he reached out to the cardiology team in Rashid Hospital and thanked them for saving his life.

-Ends-

For further information, please contact:
Kamakshi Gupta and Noor Nazzal
Communications Analysts- Media Dept.
Dubai Health Authority
klgupta@dha.gov.ae nnnazzal@dha.gov.ae 
+9714 2197455

About the Dubai Health Authority:

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) was created, in June 2007, by Law 13 issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, with an expanded vision to include strategic oversight for the complete health sector in Dubai and enhance private sector engagement.

Prior to the establishment of the DHA, the Department of Health and Medical Services, which was established in 1973, was the functioning authority that almost exclusively focused on health service delivery.

In May 2018, H.H Sheikh Mohammed, issued Law No. (6) of 2018 of the DHA. The new Law further enables the DHA to achieve its objectives including regulating medical services in Dubai, enhancing competiveness and transparency, improving medical services and products based on international best practices and achieving the sector’s objectives according to approved strategic plans.

H.H Sheikh Mohammed also issued Decree No. 17 of 2018 establishing subsidiaries of the DHA: the Dubai Healthcare Corporation and Dubai Health Insurance Corporation to further enhance healthcare services in Dubai and enable DHA to fulfil its responsibilities and obligations. Three new strategic sectors were also added as part of the decree; they include Strategy and Corporate Development, Health Regulation, and Shared Support Services.
In addition to overseeing the health sector for the Emirate of Dubai, the DHA also focuses on providing services through DHA healthcare facilities including Latifa, Dubai, Rashid and Hatta Hospitals, its 12 primary healthcare centres, 17 medical fitness centres and its 6 specialty centres.

For more information, visit DHA’s website: www.dha.gov.ae 

© Press Release 2020