Abu Dhabi: The Emirates World Humanitarian Mobile Hospital has performed the first successful open heart surgery in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The surgery was performed using a minimally invasive endoscopic technique to repair a damaged mitral valve of a Bosnian woman in her thirties.
The three-hour robotically-assisted heart procedure is considered as one of the latest advances.
The surgery was performed by a team of surgeons from the UAE, France and Bosnia. It was led by consultant cardiothoracic surgeon Adel Al Shameri, and executive director of the hospital as part of a joint UAE-Bosnian Heart Programme.
The Bosnian woman is now recuperating at the Bosnian University Hospital. The Medical Director of the Bosnian University Hospital, Dr Almer Kashkock said only a very limited number of hospitals around the world are capable to perform this kind of pioneer surgeries.
He expressed appreciation for the UAE's support to the programme which has plans to operate on more than 100 patients with cardiac failures.