Burjeel Hospital Surgeons Perform Rare Heart Surgery On 70-year-old Nigerian

Captain Cosmos Niagwan, 70-year-old resident of Nigeria is scheduled to return home after successfully recovering from a complex 7-hour heart surgery performed at Abu Dhabi’s Burjeel Hospital,the Emirate’s largest private tertiary hospital.

The three-in-one procedure required doctors to perform a unique Bentallprocedure and a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) that includes aorta replacement, bypass,and re-implantation of two vessels.

Capt. Cosmos was referred to Burjeel Hospital’s Cardiac Surgery Specialist, DrTarigElhassan, by a Nigerian friend who was treated by the surgeon.

DrTarigsaid, “We studied the patient’s reports and detected his deteriorating condition. He had suffered from an acute heart failure and renal failure. He had high blood pressureand sickle cell anemia, a condition also prevalent in the UAE. He was refused admission and travel from hospitals in the UK and South Africa.”

DrTarig added, “Old age and multiple health conditions increased the risk of such a complicated procedure and he initially had a 50% chance of survival if the procedure was done.Although it was a high risk procedure, we calculated that his odds of survival were zero without it, hence, we proceeded with the surgery.”

The operation took a team of 20 multi-disciplinary doctors and support staff, headed by DrY.A. Nazer, Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Burjeel Hospital,seven hours to complete. “Since the patient suffers from sickle cell crisis, he also required blood transfusion during the surgery to increase his normal red blood cell count”, DrTarig said.

Capt. Cosmos shared his experience. “The doctors and nurses at Burjeel Hospital were fantastic. They did a great job. When I arrived here, I was very weak and could hardly walk. After the treatment, I can attempt to do quick steps. My friend highly recommendedDrNazer and DrTarig and the hospital to me and I would surely refer all my friends to Burjeel Hospital. I now feel 15 years younger than before the surgery.”

On the UAE growing as a popular medical tourism destination, Dr. Charles Stanford, CEO of Burjeel Hospital said, “Many from the African continent and the region are turning to medical tourism for life-threatening heart conditions and other diseases. While the UAE is a newcomer in this area, the country has great potential due to high standards of quality health care, excellent infrastructure and competitive pricing offered here. At Burjeel Hospital, we receive on an average5% of our cases from the MENA region per month. However, this is the tip of the iceberg and Nigeria, with its 170 million population, is a huge opportunity for cardiac and orthopedic surgeries in particular.”

Burjeel Hospital, the capital’s premier private healthcare facility opened in April 2012 as a tertiary hospital. The hospital is affiliated with some of the world’s best healthcare institutions for its centers of excellence including Brussels University, Belgium – a renowned European institute for reproductive medicine that manages and runs Burjeelhospital’s IVF services and Columbia University, USA that jointly provides Cardiac Services to the hospital’s heart patients. The hospital will soon be announcing its affiliations with world leaders in the treatment in areas of diabetes and fetal medicine.

The hospital has well-stocked in-house pharmacies, manned by experienced pharmacists to take care of all patient needs at any time of the day or night. The OPD Pharmacy is open 24X7. Additionally, Burjeel has a unique fitness center that combines a gym and spa with medical expertise. Burjeel also houses a coffee shop and a restaurant serving the finest and healthiest cuisines from across the world. Combining all-round specialization and expertise with most advanced technology, Burjeel offers the best in diagnostic, curative as well as preventive aspects of healthcare.

Emirate:  Abu Dhabi

Date: Dec 2, 2013

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