On holiday in Dubai, a visitor developed fever and severe abdominal pain with distension. He was rushed by ambulance to American Hospital Dubai, where Dr Ali Al Fazari, Chief of Internal Medicine, and the medical team immediately attended to him. Due to his unstable condition, the patient was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
"The patient arrived at American Hospital Dubai with fever and abdominal pain," said Dr Al Fazari. "Upon examination, we found him to have chronic liver disease, and his abdomen was distended. Further investigations confirmed he was suffering from spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, caused by infection of the abdominal fluid."
The condition, Dr Al Fazari explained, typically affects people with chronic liver disease, which causes an accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. This fluid becomes the medium for bacteria to grow, causing an infection that can be fatal.
"The patient was immediately started on antibiotics and other supportive therapies," added Dr Al Fazari. "We drained the infected abdomen fluid, and he made a remarkable recovery within a short period." The timely intervention and life-saving supportive treatment by American Hospital Dubai helped the patient recover and fly home safely.
Recalling the incident, the patient's spouse said, "Our holiday in Dubai started on a Tuesday morning, and by Friday morning, Michael became unwell and needed urgent medical assistance. While he was being taken to hospital in an ambulance, I wondered what I would do as I was in a foreign country," she said.
However, she felt comforted when the ambulance personnel informed her that they were taking the patient to American Hospital Dubai. "We arrived at the emergency, and the staff and doctors immediately attended to him. He was diagnosed with a large volume of fluid in his abdomen and sepsis. As it was a life-threatening situation, they immediately admitted him to the ICU."
The patient, Michael, expressed his gratitude to American Hospital Dubai for his life-saving treatment and said, "I would like to thank everybody here for their support and care."
Dr Ali Al Fazari is an Emirati consultant physician specialising in gastroenterology and liver disease. He is the assistant chief governance officer and chief of internal medicine at the American Hospital Dubai. Dr Al Fazari is a board-certified Canadian-trained Consultant Gastroenterologist and Clinical Professor of Medicine who completed his internal medicine training at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada and pursued specialty fellowship training in Gastroenterology at Ottawa University, Canada.
American Hospital Dubai is proud of its Emirati doctors and multidisciplinary team of medical professionals who offer world-class medical care to patients in the region and beyond. The hospital's services and expertise support Dubai and the UAE's position as the medical destination of choice for people from around the world.