DHA heart surgery technique to be showcased globally
Dr Faouzi Safadi’s mitral valve repair procedure will be presented to 5,000 cardiologists
The Dubai Stitch cardiac technique, which was invented by Dr Faouzi Safadi, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon in Dubai Hospital, will be presented at the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery’s 33rd annual meeting next month in Lisbon.
The prestigious meet will have an attendance of more than 5,000 cardiologists and Dr Safadi has been invited to present a special session titled Technical Pearls in Mitral Valve Repair; Artificial Chordae Adjustment — The Dubai Stitch: a Revolutionary Simplification.
Dr Safadi invented and patented the innovative cardiac technique in 2017. He termed the procedure, which helps repair the mitral valve, the Dubai Stitch as a mark of respect to the city he calls home.
Knowing the precise length of the neo-cord is fundamental for the success of such cardiac procedures.
So far, the Dubai technique has been adopted in 12 international cardiology centres, including Belgium, Italy, the US, the UK, France, the Netherlands and India. Until now, more than 250 patients globally have benefitted from this pioneering technique.
The Dubai Stitch procedure is used when the mitral valve gets incontinent and in such cases, blood circulation is disturbed. The blood stagnates in the heart, which is dangerous and needs timely intervention to prevent irreversible damage in the organ.
Talking about the technique he said, “The idea to do this procedure stemmed from a tie-knot. I realised I can use the same concept in cardiology.
“The difficulty that cardiac surgeons faced before the invention of the Dubai Stitch was the determination of the precise length the neo-cord (the artificial cord).
“Knowing the precise length of the neo-cord is fundamental for the success of such cardiac procedures. In the absence of the knowledge of the precise length of the cord, the risk of causing leaflet restriction and residual leaflet prolapse is higher during the repair process and both these conditions are chronic.
“With the addition of this new invention, surgeons are able to understand the precise length of the cord, thus the process is further simplified, is more accurate and easily applicable which means it can be adopted by surgeons across the world.”