UAE: 11-year-old who suffered brain injury while playing gets timely neurosurgery

He had hit his head against wall while running

By SM Ayaz Zakir

Published: Wed 3 Aug 2022, 10:09 AM

Last updated: Wed 3 Aug 2022, 5:07 PM

An 11-year-old child was successfully treated at a private hospital in Sharjah after an accident that caused a harsh impact on his brain.

Ibrahim was out playing with friends when he had an accident and hit his head against a wall while running. Due to the trauma to his head, he suffered a haemorrhage in his brain.

The parents rushed Ibrahim to various hospitals but could not get urgent treatment before they finally reached Zulekha Hospital Sharjah’s Paediatric emergency. Within a few minutes, the child was unconscious.

Dr Omar Abdulmohssen, neurosurgery specialist, and the emergency team assessed him immediately. During the assessment, Ibrahim's pupils were dilated and he was unable to respond.

After a timely CT scan of the brain, Dr Abdulmohssen diagnosed a large epidural haematoma (tempora- partial) right side. An epidural haematoma (EDH) is a collection of blood that forms between the skull and the dura mater, the outermost protective membrane covering the brain. The cause is usually an artery that gets torn by a skull fracture.

Dr Abdulmohssen did an urgent craniotomy procedure (surgical removal of part of the bone from the skull to expose the brain) to remove the haematoma. The surgery lasted for about two hours supported by Dr Islam Essam Eldin Elkousy, specialist in critical care medicine, and the nursing team. After 24 hours, Ibrahim was stable without any complications.

The parents were extremely grateful to the surgeon for his acceptance and urgent action on their child’s situation. Appreciating the team’s work, the father said: “We were losing hope after visiting many hospitals and Dr Abdulmohssen and the team at Zulekha Hospital took quick action and did the surgery and have ensured my son could live a normal life again. This is miraculous and we could not believe his fast recovery. Thanks to Almighty.”

Dr Abdulmohssen advised parents and children to take care while playing and stay away from sharp and hard objects. “If one still faces the trauma, please ensure you rush the child to emergency and look for a quick diagnosis of the symptoms and identification of the issue without wasting time. Such traumas require quick action, expertise, and readiness of the medical team to operate urgently and save the life,” said Dr Abdulmohssen.

ALSO READ: