Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), one of the UAE’s largest hospitals and a joint-venture partnership between Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and Mayo Clinic, has recently performed a lung-sparing resection surgery for an international patient suffering from hemoptysis resulting from an extremely rare congenital lung malformation.
Hemoptysis is a serious and life-threatening condition that refers to coughing up blood from the lungs as a result of pulmonary bleeding. SSMC’s patient suffered from hemoptysis due to a congenital lung airway malformation; a disease present from birth that represents an abnormal development of the lungs.
Delving deeper into the patient’s rare and complex condition, Dr. Norberto Santana Rodriguez, thoracic surgery consultant and chair of the Thoracic Surgery Division at SSMC, said: “Due to the patient having a congenital deformity, there was abnormal communication between the aorta, the body’s largest artery, and the lung. This meant that blood circulation was low in pressure, whereas the aorta had high systematic pressure. This type of malformation caused an increase in the blood pressure within the lung, which is why the patient experienced bleeding through the airways for several years.”
Dr. Santana added: “The challenging aspect of treating such a case is the precision required for a lung-sparing surgery to eliminate the lung malformation causing the hemoptysis while ensuring the rest of the area remains intact. Fortunately, we were able to successfully preserve the patient’s lung lobe and eliminate the risk of continued bleeding through the patient’s airways.”
Once the surgery was successfully completed, Husnain Shahzada, 27-year-old, from Pakistan, conveyed a sense of relief and said: “I can’t express how grateful I am to Dr. Santana and SSMC’s multidisciplinary team for treating my case with the utmost precision and compassionate care. Due to how complex and rare my case was, I sought the best and most specialized thoracic care possible. I would like to thank the team at SSMC for treating the root cause of my condition and for giving me the opportunity to live a healthier life without the life-threatening condition.”
Dr. Abdulqader Almessabi, deputy chief medical officer and consultant, division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at SSMC, highlighted the hospital’s focus on complex surgeries and said: “As one of the UAE’s largest hospitals for serious and complex care, SSMC in partnership with Mayo Clinic, is focused on improving the lives of patients in the region through delivering world-class medical care that is patient-centered at its core.
“By having leading multidisciplinary experts and adopting the latest research and medical technologies, SSMC continues to build toward its mission of becoming a Destination Medical Center that caters to the most complex of patient needs in the UAE and the wider region. Our approach will always be centered on ensuring the delivery of holistic and empathetic care at every step of the patient journey.”
