Pioneering Practice

It was in 2006 when Dr Sarmad Aji, FACS, an American board-certified surgeon, and a fellow at the American College of Surgeons, moved to Dubai and opened a vein speciality clinic that offered advanced laser treatments for varicose veins and similar conditions.

Backed by close to 15 years of renowned general surgical practice in the United States at that time, Dr Aji's first venture in the UAE would become a phenomenal success. He was the surgeon of choice for those with varicose veins and proctology disorders.

"My decision to specialise in these treatments was an important step in my career. I consider it a milestone because my practice and expertise further developed and grew by concentrating and focusing on these specialisations," recalled Dr Aji, who was the first in the world to use the endolaser technique for treating haemorrhoids, which was previously only used on varicose veins.

For Dr Aji, it was a demand-driven decision as he was then flooded with patients from both within and outside the UAE.  The endolaser treatment that Dr Aji pioneered for proctological conditions was minimally invasive and had greater chances of success.

He was approached by several hospitals about establishing a proctology clinic using advanced treatments. In 2014, he partnered with Emirates Hospital to set up VeinCure, which became a highly successful partnership until 2018 when another hospital group took over the facility.

It was then that Dr Aji decided it was time for him and his team to set up their own practice. LaVen Clinic was born, comprised of a group of specialist surgeons dedicated to advanced, minimally invasive, same-day laser treatments of multiple conditions.

"I and our team of doctors have been together for six years. We work as a group and together, along with our support staff, we have been able to push LaVen to what it is today, a centre of excellence for minimally invasive laser treatments of venous and anorectal conditions," said Dr Aji, beaming with pride about the clinic he co-founded and manages to this day.

According to Dr Aji, LaVen's advantage, apart from the expertise and experience of the doctors and the cutting-edge technology, is that it has streamlined the treatment process, making it simple, affordable, fast and painless.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic challenging the start-up clinic early on its journey, LaVen was unfazed. "We did not layoff anyone or reduce payments; we in fact hired 30 per cent more staff, to help us cope with the growing number of treatments that we are doing," said Dr Aji.

The clinic has been in talks with several partners outside the UAE and confirmed that three branches will be opening two branches in the region. This is in addition to its current branch network that includes three in Dubai and one each in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

LaVen Group at work

> 60 per cent of treatments done in LaVen are on proctology disorders; others are treatments of vein and skin conditions.
> 500 to 600, the average number of new patients per month that come to LaVen for consultations on anorectal disorders, which is about 50 per cent of the entire market for such disorders being treated in all clinics and hospitals in the UAE.
> 150, are the total laser surgical procedures done in LaVen in a month, while inquiries average about 100 per day.
> 2,000 is the daily total of visits to LaVen'swebsite (with a bounce rate of just 1.5 per cent)