UAE: Patient makes miraculous recovery after spending 9 months in hospital

Bedridden Indian expat was completely dependent on others for all daily activities

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Waheed Abbas

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Saritah Parathodi Thekkepat
Saritah Parathodi Thekkepat

Published: Tue 2 Aug 2022, 7:11 PM

A 46-year-old female patient with severe multiple health complications has made a miraculous recovery after spending over nine months in the hospital.

Saritah Parathodi Thekkepat, an Indian national residing and working in Dubai, was bedridden when she was brought to NMC Provita. She was completely dependent on others for all daily activities after suffering a multifocal hemorrhagic stroke, flaccid paralysis and acute kidney failure.


Dr Ahmad Al Khayer, medical director, NMC Provita International Medical Centre, said the patient was brought by her family to the emergency unit with acute confusion and an altered level of consciousness.

“She had a very complicated hospital course, presented with sepsis, secondary to strangulated umbilical hernia, multiple organ failure and an acute stroke. She was intubated and transferred to the ICU post laparotomy – small bowel resection and excision of umbilical hernia sac were done,” he said.


During her rehabilitation sessions from October 10, 2021, till she was discharged on July 13, 2022, she would always cry in pain and had stiffness in both shoulders and hands.

The doctor said she had minimal or no functional movement in both upper and lower limbs except her right foot, which had no movement at all.

Dr Al Khayer said the patient suffered from impaired sensation also on her lower limbs with absent touch, pain and proprioception on her right foot.

“Her out-of-bed activities, such as wheelchair sitting and going to the gym was limited due to a stage 4 pressure ulcer on her sacral area. She had a very complicated hospital course, presented with sepsis, secondary to strangulated umbilical hernia, multi-organ failure and an acute stroke,” he added.

Upon Thekkepat’s admission, a multidisciplinary team consisting of physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, dietitians, psychologist and nurses was formed to help the 46-year-old patient to come back to normal life.

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“After intensive rehabilitation spanning six days per week, her sensory motor function improved significantly, which resulted in her regaining function in mobility and transfers, feeding, grooming, bathing, dressing and toileting activities. She can now mobilise in bed, to sitting on the edge of the bed, to transfer from one place to another using a slide transfer with the aid of a slide board. The rehabilitation team provided her with the necessary skills in order to engage her back into her community by training her to manage transfers from a wheelchair to a car with minimal assistance and propelling her wheelchair independently,” added Dr Al Khayer.

She was discharged from the hospital in mid-July and returned to India without the need for dialysis with her pressure ulcer healing.

“She will continue with her rehabilitation at home and all the skills she has learned,” concluded Dr Al Khayer.


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