Abu Dhabi: In a rare gesture of gratitude, the management of an Abu Dhabi private hospital has rewarded its security officers, a day after Gulf News published a story about how they helped save the life of an Emirati woman, 23, who suffered a cardiac arrest and passed out in the car park.
Faizal Khan, Security Officer at Burjeel Hospital, had told Gulf News that the hospital’s security guards found the woman lying unconscious and unresponsive. Swinging into action, he had alerted the control room operator, following which the hospital had gone into Code Magenta, or Rapid Response Alert, to treat the woman.
The prompt action saved the life of the woman, F. Al Hosani, whom doctors diagnosed was a critical case of pulmonary embolism or blood clots travelling into the lungs.
Dh50,000 cash reward
In a statement to Gulf News, the hospital management said, “We came across multiple appreciation messages on various social media platforms, and even got calls at the hospital call centre acknowledging the tremendous efforts and dedication of the security guards and the entire team after reading the news on Gulf News. The security guards’ prompt action and the coordinated team response played a vital role in ensuring the young woman received the urgent medical attention she desperately needed. The hospital management recognised the significance of the acts of heroism and took it upon themselves to acknowledge and reward the unsung heroes. Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, Founder and Chairman of Burjeel Holdings, presented Dh50,000 in cash as a token of appreciation to the employees in an event organised at the hospital.”
Prompt action
The woman, who was attended to by a triage of nurses, was wheeled into the resuscitation room where a team of emergency medicine professionals swung into action.
According to Dr. Wissam Al Sahli, Consultant, Interventional Cardiology, advanced cardiac life support measures had to be initiated and after the patient was resuscitated for 10 minutes, she was stabilised. But her condition remained critical.
Time a critical factor
When suspicions arose about a pulmonary embolism, an emergency CT scan was done, following which their worst fears came true.
As Dr. Mohamed Almarzooqi, Consultant Interventional Neuroradiology, Interventional Radiology & HOD, said, time was a critical factor. “The CT scan of her lungs showed multiple pulmonary emboli (clots) in the lungs, which were affecting the oxygenation of the body, her blood pressure and putting a huge strain on the heart. The team was also on standby to aspirate the blood clot,” he said.
After an emergency huddle, the team decided to administer clot-busting medication to address the embolism. Within a couple of hours, the patient’s vital signs gradually improved. Al Hosani was on artificial ventilation as she was unable to breathe by herself. The following day, once the vitals stabilised, the team was able to wean her off the ventilator and she regained consciousness. She soon recovered and was discharged home five days later.
The patient said, “I am grateful to the Almighty to be alive. I was not feeling well but I did not expect it to lead to such a serious condition. I am thankful to the entire team at Burjeel Hospital.”
