UAE doctors save German tourist's life by performing timely surgery

He was discharged from the hospital within four days.

48-year-old German tourist Frank Wehne's happy vacation turned into a life-and-death situation as he was rushed to rushed to a hospital in  Ras Al Khaimah, with a ruptured bowel and unbearable abdominal pain.
A quick blood and radiological test by the hospital team revealed that the patient had already been suffering from colonic diverticular disease - a condition where small bulges or pockets can develop in the lining of the large intestine and result in a hole or tear in the large bowel.
The patient was also suffering from severe stomach ache, nausea and loss of appetite for over a day.
In order to stabilise his condition, doctors at the hospital immediately shifted him to the ICU and put him on medication. The same day he underwent a successful laparoscopic surgery to treat the ruptured bowel.
The patient was discharged within just four days and travelled back to his country.
"His condition was critical because a hole or tear in the large bowel means that the intestinal contents - such as bacteria, partially digested food and stool - can spill into one's abdomen and cause serious infection known as Sepsis. If not diagnosed and treated at an early stage, it can be life-threatening," explained Dr Anup Kumar Panigrahi, Specialist and Head of Department, Minimal Access Surgery at RAK Hospital, who operated on the patient.
The patient was aware of his condition but still neglected the severe pain for a day.
Symptoms of diverticular disease includes persistent abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, rectal bleeding, fever, abdominal tenderness, constipation and, in some cases, diarrhoea.
Typically, the condition occurs in 10 per cent of people over the age of 40 and the chances increase with age. As per one report, globally, one in three people can potentially die of infections caused by bowel ruptures, he said. 
Dr Raza Siddqui, CEO of Arabian Healthcare Group and Executive Director of RAK Hospital said, "More deaths occur due to delays in medical intervention than anything else." 
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

• Ras Al Khaimah