Nine-hour heart operation for Indian expatriate

Dubai: A rare cardiac operation lasting nine hours was performed at the Dubai Hospital, Gulf News has learnt. The patient is recovering.

The hospital treats more than 3,000 cardiac cases per year with surgery cases taking up four to six hours.

The nine-hour surgery for aortic dissection is rare for the hospital and the first of its kind for Dr Obaid Al Jassim, head of cardiothoracic surgery at the Hospital, who led the surgical team.

Speaking to Gulf News, Dr Al Jassim said it was a tough, complicated and lengthy surgery due to the high mortality rate compared to the surgeries he has done since the beginning of his career in 2000.

He explained that an aortic dissection is a serious condition in which there is a potentially life-threatening tear or damage in the inner wall of the aorta, the largest artery of the body that supplies oxygenated blood to the circulatory system.

“An aortic dissection can decrease or stop the blood flow to different parts of the body like the brain, heart and kidneys, resulting in short or long-term damage, even death,” he said.

Even a small delay increases the risk of a patient suffering from such a condition, he said.

Patient Mustafa Cheriyaparambatha, an Indian man aged 41, was admitted to the hospital’s emergency department complaining of sharp, stabbing chest pain during the last week of December 2012.

He was disoriented and his blood pressure was at a dangerously high level. Preliminary investigation revealed no previous heart condition. However, his pulse showed different readings on both hands, prompting the emergency team to consult with the cardiology department.

“After a few tests and an echocardiogram [a test that creates a moving picture of the heart] by Dr Arif Al Mulla, head of cardiology, we performed an emergency surgery before the aorta ruptured,” Dr Al Jassim said.

“We had to perform a bypass first to ensure that the blood flow to the body’s vital organs remains uninterrupted. Then we repaired the tear. Throughout we had to control the bleeding points and ensure regular blood transfusion.”

According to medical literature he said less than half of patients with a ruptured aorta survive. Those who do require lifelong, aggressive treatment for high blood pressure and regular aorta monitoring tests.

He said that the action taken by the ambulance and emergency teams led to the positive outcome and saved the patient’s life.

Speaking to Gulf News, the brother-in-law of the patient, Esmail Puthan-Purayil, said: “Mustafa works in a grocery store on a 12-hour split shift. He has three children in India. He has been stressed because his youngest child has a kidney condition that needs to be treated, We hope he feels better.”

The patient’s prognosis is good, said Dr Al Jassim. “He was shifted from the ICU [intensive care unit] on January 4 to a ward. He should be discharged by the third week of January.”

The surgical team comprised doctors Basel Al Zaman, Tariq Abdul Aziz, Nayyer Rafiq and perfusionist Pradeep and the cardiac surgery support team.