World's heaviest woman arrives at Abu Dhabi hospital

Dubai: Eman Abdul Atti, widely believed to be the world’s heaviest woman, arrived at the Abu Dhabi International Airport at 9.30pm Thursday.

She will now undergo long-term physical and psychological rehabilitation at Burjeel Hospital.

Egyptian Deputy Ambassador Dr Karim Elsadat said Eman has been transferred to the UAE and Burjeel Hospital because it has the necessary experience and expertise to treat her.

She was medically evacuated from the Saifee Hospital, Mumbai, India, where she underwent bariatric surgery for reducing weight and was brought to Burjeel Hospital, Abu Dhabi, for further treatment, confirmed a spokesperson from Burjeel Hospital.

Abdul Atti flew from Mumbai on an EgyptAir cargo aircraft which took off at 5.50pm UAE time from Terminal 2, Gate 5, of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai. Texting to Gulf News, Abdul Atti’s sister, Shaima Selim, said: “Eman is very happy and relieved to have landed in Abu Dhabi and is looking forward to her stay in Abu Dhabi.”

Following a dispute between the surgeon treating Abdul Atti in Mumbai, Dr Mufazzal Lakdawala and Abdul Atti’s sister Shaima Selim, the latter decided to seek treatment for her in Abu Dhabi.

The medical evacuation team of Burjeel Hospital arrived at Saifee Hospital. Mumbai at 9.30am on Thursday to organise the ground-to–air-to-ground logistics of Abdul Atti’s transfer from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi. Sanet Mayers, the director of Burjeel Hospital’s Medevac team, told Gulf News that it would be a complete bed-to-bed transfer using a special bed meant for bariatric surgery patients and a specialised ambulance that could facilitate the hoisting of the bed to the door of the cargo Airbus A300.

Abdul Atti, 36, a resident of Alexandria, Egypt, was flown to Mumbai on February 10 in a specialised logistical operation. On March 7, she underwent bariatric surgery by Dr Lakdawala, specialist bariatric surgeon and chairman of Saifee Hospital, who undertook Eman’s weight loss regimen and treatment. At the time of the surgery, she is believed to have weighed 500kg, according Dr Lakdawala.

Abdul Atti began gaining weight from the age of nine as she suffered from a genetic condition and at the age of 11, she suffered a paralytic stroke that confined her to bed as her weight kept ballooning. Until she was hoisted out of her apartment, Eman had not left her home for 25 years.

She is said to have lost 300kg since the surgery in Mumbai and currently, her weight stands at 176kg and is said to be in stable condition, according to a Saifee Hospital bulletin.

A team of 13 specialists that included intensivists from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), specialists and paramedics accompanied the patient as part of the evacuation team aboard the aircraft. The aircraft was equipped with a list of all emergency equipment such as ventilator, defibrillator, oxygen cylinder and ICU medicines to take care of any emergency that is likely to arise in flight.

Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, chairman and founder of VPS Healthcare, said that he welcomed Eman and was keen to help her back to good health following a proper rehabilitation programme.

List of equipment aboard the Airbus A300 cargo plane

1. Invasive monitoring, CVP, arterial pressure monitoring device
2. Largest size LMA (laryngeal mask airway) x 2
3. Oxygen cylinders aluminium with regulators and O2 Key (fittings for ventilator and flowmeter combined)
4. Oxylog 3000 ventilator, O2 cylinder, patient circuits, T-piece, Pal filter
5. Defibrillator with multifunction pads, ECG, SPO2, BP cuff largest size available, ETCO2 monitoring
6. Portable suction machine with suction catheters rigid and soft tip
7. Syringe pumps with admin sets and syringes 50/60cc x 3
8. Intubation kit: Laryngoscope handle plus blades — size 3-4 (straight and curved)
9. Endotracheal tubes — sizes 7-8 — cuffed with tube holders
10. Bougies (yellow colour) x 2
11. Thorocostomy set complete with trocars and suture material Povidone x 1
12. Nasogastric tube bags x 2
13. Kendal urine meter x 1
14. Syringes 5, 10, 20 cc x 10 each with needles
15. IV fluids: NaCl 0.9%, Ringers Lactate, D5NS 500mls x 3 each with admin sets
16. Biohazardous bags and sharps container x 1
17. Bag Valve Mask Device with reservoir and oxygen tubing
Medication required: Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi
1. Ketamine — 2 vials
2. Fentanyl 2000 µg
3. Midazolam 100mg
4. Rocuronium 100mg
5. Diazepam x 2 ampoules
6. Nor-epinephrine 1 ampoule
7. Epinephrine x 10 ampoules
8. Perfalgan 1g x 5 vials
9. Salbutamol Nebules x 10
10. Pulmicort x 5
11. Furosemide 150mg
12. Sodium Bicarbonate x 3 ampoules
13. Vasopressin x 1 ampoule
14. Calcium Chloride x 2 ampoules
15. Calcium Gluconate x 3 ampoules
16. Potassium Chloride x 2 ampoules
17. Magnesium Sulphate x 2 ampoules
18. Atropine x 3 ampoules
19. Amiodarone 150mg x 6 ampoules
20. Adenosine 6mg x 3 ampoule