UAE: Doctors save elderly Emirati from permanent paralysis

Doctors at Tawam Hospital in Al Ain successfully saved the life of a 75-year-old Emirati patient from permanent paralysis after she experienced an acute stroke.

The patient was brought to the hospital's Emergency Department with symptoms of an acute stroke resulting in the loss of her ability to speak or move her right limb.

Upon arrival, the patient immediately underwent the necessary diagnostic radiological examinations, which identified the blockage of a large artery supplying the brain.

The patient was then transferred to the cerebral catheterization department, where the medical team in the Interventional Radiology Department at Tawam Hospital, a facility affiliated with Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, (SEHA) rushed to remove the clot inside the cerebral vessels with advanced technologies and restored perfusion to the brain.

The patient's condition improved rapidly and only 24 hours after the procedure, she was able to talk and move.

Dr. Jamal Al-Qutaish, the consultant interventional radiologist and head of the Radiology Department at Tawam Hospital, said: “The time factor played a significant role in saving the life of this patient, as the awareness of the family in bringing her within two hours of the symptoms of stroke was one of the most important reasons for the success of the procedure and the improvement of the patient’s condition, in addition to the availability of the latest technology and medical expertise at Tawam Hospital. "

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Stroke, in addition to cardiovascular disease, is the leading cause of death nationwide in the UAE, although up to 50 percent of strokes are preventable.

Stroke affects both sexes, with women more at risk than men. It is also the leading cause of paralysis worldwide.

The Department of Interventional Radiology at Tawam Hospital is the largest and the most technologically-advanced in the country. It receives more than ten thousand patients each year for all specialities and from across the UAE and neighbouring countries.

• Abu Dhabi