UAE doctors perform challenging surgery on Pakistani man with extremely rare life-threatening condition

Doctors at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City have successfully performed a lung-sparing resection surgery on an international patient suffering from haemoptysis resulting from an extremely rare congenital lung malformation.

Haemoptysis is a serious and life-threatening condition that refers to coughing up blood from the lungs as a result of pulmonary bleeding. Husnain Shahzada, a 27-year-old patient from Pakistan, suffered from haemoptysis due to a congenital lung airway malformation – a disease present from birth that represents an abnormal development of the lungs.

“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 systemic 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 Norberto Santana Rodriguez, thoracic surgery consultant and chair of the Thoracic Surgery Division at SSMC, said while explaining the patient’s rare and complex condition.

“The challenging aspect of treating such a case is the precision required for a lung-sparing surgery to eliminate the lung malformation causing the haemoptysis 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,” Dr Rodriguez added.

Following the successful surgery, Shahzada expressed a sense of relief.

“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 specialised 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.”

SSMC is one of the UAE’s largest hospitals and a joint-venture partnership between Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and Mayo Clinic.

Dr Abdulqader Almessabi, deputy chief medical officer and consultant, division of gastroenterology and hepatology at SSMC, noted the hospital 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 centre 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,” Dr Almessabi added.

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