DUBAI: Prompt action by the Dubai Ambulance Services, with help from doctors at the Mediclinic Parkview Hospital, saved a 40-year-old Pakistani patient who suffered from a sudden cardio-respiratory arrest after one of his arteries was completely blocked and he lapsed into multiple organ dysfunction.
The patient, who received multiple electric shocks, was administered CPR before being transferred to the nearest hospital, Mediclinic Parkview on Umm Suqeim Road.
Mohammed Al-Qafli, Head of Jebel Ali Ambulance Division, said: “The ambulance crew dealt with the situation professionally, because of its speed in response, high alertness and capabilities.” He said the state-of-the-art technology used for cardiac fibrillation, resuscitation and measurement of vital signs by Dubai Ambulance helped in accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.
Although the patient initially remained unresponsive with no heartbeat, his condition was managed until he reached the hospital’s cardiac cath lab where a stent was placed to unblock his artery by interventional cardiologist Dr Ahmad Mustafa. “However, despite this he remained in shock with multiorgan dysfunction, hence he was placed on Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) or Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) in order to support his organs whilst the heart recovered from the shock.”
Dr Gerasmos Capatos and Dr Kalpana Reddy, consultant intensivists and the ECMO team at Mediclinic Parkview Hospital, including Dr Taohid Oshidi, consultant vascular surgeon, said the patient would not have survived without support using this extra-ordinary measure. ECLS or ECMO is a technique that provides cardio-respiratory support when either the heart or the lungs fail and don’t respond to conventional therapy.
